The In-Betweens of Fire and Ice
by Sarudoshi
Summary: banished from home and doomed to hunt down a myth to restore his honor, the hotheaded prince would go insane were it not for her. they were promised to each other as children, but even so.. what would possess an adopted nobleman's daughter to join him in his search for the elusive Avatar? light canon pairings, mainly ZukoOC. rated for lang, flaring tempers, light smut; no lemons.
1. Water I

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

**_Water I_**

* * *

To say the temperature was cool would be a big understatement.

Even with her eyes closed she knew he was on his way; it didn't bother her in the slightest… so long as he didn't open his mouth.

"Aren't you cold out here?" _And life just loved to heckle her, obviously_.

"Nope."

"What the hell possessed you to try meditating on deck? It's freezing."

"I needed some air."

"That's a piss-poor reason, Mari."

She slid open an amber eye at his usage of her nickname, "Don't get huffy just because I can withstand the cold of the South Pole and you clearly can't, Zu."

His right eye twitched, "How many times do I have to tell you to **not** call me that?" It was almost as bad as the dreaded petname his sister used.

"Relax, I'm not your sister. I don't have the concentrated sheer-evilness that is Azula." She snorted; not that he could disagree with her snarky comment, this was his _sister_ they were talking about...

"Don't tell me you're adept at reading minds too…" He deadpanned.

"Why, does that _scare_ the almighty Zuko?" She opened both eyes, smirking up at him.

The prince briefly remembered why the hell he hadn't wanted her to come with him… "Shut up, and stop being so snarky so early in the day." He groused, gold eyes narrowing pointedly.

His friend huffed, sliding her eyes closed with a sigh, relaxing the meditating stance she'd taken since daybreak before nimbly hopping to her feet; a pout formed on her lips at seeing she still came to a head shorter than him. "We're not in the Fire Nation anymore, you can't tell me what to do." She sang cheekily, the pout shifting to a grin at making the apparent knot on his brow twitch in annoyance, skirting around him to retreat below deck to freshen up.

"Still older than _you_ by a few months, dumbass…" He grumbled; why did Mariko's snarkiness always rattle his cage? It was annoying!

::::::::x-x:::::::: 

A blast of orange flames was directed at one of the guards as she appeared on deck with fresh tea.

"Oh, good morning, Mariko."

She smiled at the kind greeting from the senior bender as she set down the tea tray, plopping down on the cold deck. "Good morning, General Iroh." She returned, pouring him a cup of his favored jasmine tea before doing the same for herself, turning her attention to the training session going on; she tilted her head to the side, taking a sip. "Is he at it again?" She wondered blandly, sitting down.

"Yes, and insisting to be trained more rigorously, as well." The stocky general answered, the passive expression giving way to a slight crinkle in his brow.

Mariko watched one of the two guards lunge, sending a bout of flames at the hotheaded prince, only to have it blocked with a bout from his fist, flicking his wrist and rebounding, sending a wider and fiercer bout screaming at the guard; she sipped again, generously. "Anger management in the form of fire-bending… So long as he doesn't burn down the ship, it's a great venting technique." She mused.

Iroh sent a knowing look at the petite girl, taking a sip of tea. "I cannot thank you enough for wishing to come along, Mariko. Even though my nephew doesn't voice his gratitude, I feel the need to." He said, perking her ears.

She smiled softly at his kindness, shrugging and taking a generous sip, glancing at the training session briefly. "It's no trouble; besides, what's life without adventure?" She replied.

"The sages tell us that the Avatar is the last air-bender; he's over a hundred years old and has more than a century to master the four elements! I'm going to need more than simple training if I plan to defeat him. You will teach me the set!" Apparently the previous conversation wasn't finished yet; she lifted both brows in mild curiosity, sipping her tea.

His uncle set him with a defeated sort of scowl. "Very well, but first let me finish my roast duck." He agreed, taking the bowl of what appeared to be his breakfast and chowing down.

She giggled at the repulsed look on his young face, earning a glance.

Zuko glared at his age-mate, "And you, what's so funny?" He demanded.

Mariko ignored the glare, brushing a few pesky strands of her curly hair from her cheek aimlessly. "Breakfast and a show." She smiled brightly if only to earn a slight grumble of a curse from him; the smile faltered as she straightened to stretch her arms. "Seriously though, what if all this training was for naught? I mean, what if the Avatar isn't as skilled as you think he is? Seems kinda silly, doesn't it?" She tilted her head, lifting a thin brow.

Seeing him seethe was sometimes amusing, sometimes not so much.

"Don't be ridiculous, of course the training is worth it! Besides, I never see you train, Mariko; you just lounge around like a cat and throw comments like the smart-ass pain you are! Why did you come anyway?" Zuko barked, gold eyes following as she moved away to stand near the rail, arms folded.

Mariko dropped the indifferent expression to turn slightly to him, amber eyes narrowing. "I'm a smart-ass pain? Look at _you!_ You're a hotheaded jerk still _licking his wounds!_" She snapped, briefly reminding him that even though she was easy-going and down to earth, she also had a bit of a temper.

He took a step closer, intimidating; she stood her ground, amber eyes narrowed.

"Prince Zuko." The staring contest was broken when they both heard his uncle's warning tone.

Mariko backed down first, snorting, shrugging past him to clean up the tea tray. "Even if the entirety of the Fire Nation turned their back on you, you wouldn't be alone. **That's** why I came, Zuko." She stated softly, taking the tray with her below deck.  
_  
I never train because if I did… you'd hate me for what I am_.

* * *

Damn, why did he have to do that…?

"Zuko!" She skidded to a halt short of the front of the deck, blasts of fire and air displayed brilliantly as she'd happened upon him trying to subdue the air-bender. Her hand rose to the hilt of the sword on her back, watching him sending bout after bout at the evident Avatar, widening her eyes slightly as she noticed (from what she could tell between the volley of elements) that the Avatar was nothing more than a boy.

Huh, apparently he owed her an apology.

With a sharp rebuttal he sent a blazing torrent at the boy that'd been evading his attacks with that blasted staff, sending him overboard.

She widened her eyes again, narrowing her gaze as she backed up before leaping over the ledge, landing on the cold surface of the deck with a slight stumble, quickly righting herself to rush forward. "You idiot, what the hell did you do that for!" She exclaimed, releasing the handle of her sword to ball both hands into fists, shoving past him to look over the ledge for the boy.

"Now isn't the time, Mariko; go back to cowering in your cabin!" He snapped sharply.

She turned to sucker-punch him hard in the face, sending him reeling back; "Don't dare mistake me for a damn coward! I wasn't the one who sent that boy into a watery grave, now was I!?" She snarled, glaring at him as he held his broken nose gingerly, annoyed and angered that he'd so carelessly knocked the air-bender overboard with his fire.

Zuko grimaced from the pain, glaring heatedly back, his anger as vivid as hers, wiping the blood away briskly.

Mariko glowered stonily, perking up when a low groan sounded from above; she looked up to see a large beige creature flying closer to the ship, eyes widening a little.

A rumbling sounded from the waters before a geyser of cold sea-water jetted up infront of them, funneling a little as the air-bender appeared at the top of it, a glow coming from his eyes and markings.  
_  
Is that what I think it is…?_ She thought, watching the geyser sway and swirl as the boy dropped down onto the deck, maneuvering the water with his hands; shit, he was water-bending!  
_  
Uh-oh_.

The water hit her hard in the chest and sent them sailing overboard; managing to quickly draw the sword from its scabbard, she stabbed into the steel and dug the blade in, grabbing hold of his hand in time before he was sent down below, seeing surprise register on his face. "H-hang on, Zuko!" She cried, gripping his fingers tightly in her own. "Don't let go." She added, vainly praying she could hold both his weight and her own for just enough time to get them onto the deck again.

She'd punched him, given him a freaking _broken_ _nose_, and now she was _helping_ him? What the hell was up with her?

Mariko grunted and gingerly lifted her weight up, keeping a firm grip on the hilt of her katana and an even firmer grip on his hand, soon struggling onto the railing of the deck; lifting a leg to hook her ankle over the metal ledge, she managed to get onto the deck, twisting to help him up.

Zuko grabbed her sword on the way, tossing it onto the deck once he could get a hand on the rail, grunting and scrambling onto the solid surface, panting just as she was.

She looked up to see the Avatar and his friends flying away, perking up as he scrambled to his feet and ordered his uncle to aid him in shooting down the beast (apparently it was a bison). "Zuko, wait!" She cried as she also jumped to her feet, watching both uncle and nephew send a combined torrent of flames screaming at the escaping air-bender.

With a sharp slap of wind, the boy diverted the attack and sent it into the high cliff-face of a glacier, forcing some of the ice to crack and drop onto their ship.

She yelped when a crash sounded as the ship came to a halt, standing her ground as the sensation rocked the deck, shaking her head and looking at the collapsed glacier.

Well, there goes that _pleasant_ idea.

"There's some good news to report to the Fire Lord; the Fire Nation's greatest threat is nothing more than a boy." Iroh pointed out jovially.

Zuko glared at him, "Uncle, that _boy_ caused this." He declared, gesturing to the damaged front deck. "Dig the ship out and follow them!" He commanded the guards that were on deck that were thawing out the ones that had been frozen by that girl's bending.

Mariko deadpanned, sheathing the sword quietly, crossing her arms. "As soon as you're done defrosting, guys." She added, flashing a kind smile in their direction, nearing the demolished front of the deck. Good thing he was technically disowned, otherwise the Fire Lord's reaction to his loss wouldn't be very pleasant.

"Don't go ordering my men around." He snapped as she came forward, glaring at her; he was still sore about her sucker-punching his nose.

She scowled, huffing. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna sucker-punch them too; you had that coming, though." She assured, smirking cheekily.

Zuko growled and glowered at her coldly, seeing her raise a hand to the hilt of the sword on her back; the sword she'd used to keep them both from falling to a watery grave. He snorted and drew back, hands formed into fists at his sides. "You are _so_ aggravating… The punch wasn't called for." He shrugged past her to storm back below deck, lightly clipping his shoulder with hers. "You think quick on your feet." He added stiffly, whether as an afterthought or spoken thought, he wasn't sure.

Mariko gaped slightly before clearing her throat and straightening, smiling a little at his retreating back. "You're welcome, Zuko." She murmured.

Iroh had a mysterious smile on his wise face when she looked at him; she blinked, pouting, putting her fists on her hips.

"What's so funny?" She asked carefully, raising a brow.

The wise Dragon of the West simply smiled. "Nothing in the slightest. I think it's time for tea, don't you, Mariko?" He said innocently, turning to retreat below deck to the kitchen.

The sword-wielding girl spared the afternoon sky a final look before following her elder, arms folding over her chest.  
_  
Old men were so strange_. 

* * *

**well this was the first chapter.. soo did you guys like it? hate it? i'm really dying to know what you think because if this story kicks off well (yes i'm covering each book) then i'll cover book 2 if book 1 is a hit. sounds cool right? **

**anyway, i love reviews so please drop one. try to keep the flames to a minimum, though! (: thanks again, later! **


	2. Water II

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

**_Water II_**

* * *

Sometimes her hair just loved to give her grief… apparently today was one of those days.

Sighing, she raised her hands to pin back her bangs to the left side of her face, securing them with a jade green pin that had a red magnolia on the front as a fashion accessory.

She inwardly snorted.

Why her mother ever tried to convert her to being super-girly she hadn't the damnedest clue...

She twirled to the side aimlessly, examining her reflection in the tall mirror behind the door of her cabin. She wasn't chubby or had much baby-fat even though she was only sixteen, in fact she was moreso lithe than scrawny; '_sixteen and unwed_', as her father had pointed out once to her mother when he had thought she wasn't listening.

Mariko scowled at her reflection, at her pale skin and amber eyes that scowled back, raising a slender hand to pull at a twirled lock of her shoulder-length black mane of curly hair.

She was fine the way she was; she liked being alone. It made life easier and she didn't have to worry over pleasing anyone.

The angered gold eyes flashed in her mind at the last thing regarding not having to please someone.

Pausing in securing the sleeveless maroon tunic over the long-sleeved gray shirt beneath with a scarlet belt at her waist, she shook her head of messy locks and scoffed aloud, tightening the belt reflexively, stomping to snatch her sword from its post by her bed propped against the wall.

She admired the sword for a moment, the black hilt with red beneath the dark cloth, drawing the katana and watching the amber glow from the lamps in her room bounce off the silver of the blade.

The katana passed down through her mother's line, the katana she'd taken from her parent's estate the dawn of that day he'd set out to capture the Avatar.

Mariko shrugged the sword's black strap over her shoulders, exiting her room to head out.

"Oof!" Her head connected with someone's shoulder; she staggered back a little, grimacing. "Ow…"

"Watch where you're going." He declared reprovingly, perking her ears as she rubbed her forehead gingerly.

She blinked and looked up at his gold scowl; she huffed, crossing her arms. "Good morning to you too, _royal_ _pain_." She grated.

The prince scoffed at her insult, noting a small red mark was blossoming on her forehead; he smirked, contemplating laughing at her, but instead kept his mouth shut. "No meditation today?" He asked blandly, leading the way to the kitchen.

She followed, keeping up with his stride, crossing her arms. "No, because you'd only disrupt it like you did the other day." She said cheekily.

He pretended she hadn't caused a knot to twitch annoyedly on his left cheek. "How the hell was I supposed to know you were meditating? I thought you were sleeping, like **normal** people do!" He bit out.

"Temper, temper, Princeling! Besides, in case you forgot, I'm not normal. And another news-flash, you're not either. Normal doesn't exist between us." She teased, ignoring the growled curse when she called him a '_princeling_'.

Zuko glared ahead. "Of course _you're_ not normal; you're an annoying nobleman's daughter that punches like a boy." He groused between his teeth.

Mariko giggled, grinning slyly as she sidled to his side, folding her arms. "How sweet of you, you're giving compliments so soon in the day. I think that little attack the other day might've given you a concussion, Zu." She sang lightly, ducking his swipe for her head.

"I said don't call me that!" He snarled, finding her grin infuriating; he groaned and stomped ahead of her. "Why the hell are you so damn aggravating?" He seethed.

She bounced after him, smiling serenely. "Because it's fun. Besides, you're cute when you get annoyed." She answered.

He stiffened and let her go ahead of him, feeling his cheeks flare pink; he growled and stormed after her, fisting his hands again. How dare she heckle him so damn early? He knew they were supposedly betrothed since they were kids –his father's idea if he recalled correctly—but he doubted at this point in his life that he could live with her without throttling her for being so… _Mariko!_

Zuko exhaled, smoke coming out of his nostrils.

* * *

"Remind me why you let _her_ come." He grumbled, hearing her bouncy step following him, keeping up with his uncle.

The wise general smiled brightly, "It would be rude to not offer Mariko a chance to stretch her legs and get off that dreadful ship."

"… Fine. But that means you're not breathing a word of what happened around here, got that?" He tilted his head back to glare pointedly at the girl.

She nodded, saluting him lazily. "Crystal, Zu." She smirked when he cringed at the name, clasping her hands at her back as she kept her pace.

"Uncle, I want the repairs done quickly, I don't want to lose his trail." He declared, pretending she wasn't with them on the jetty, that she was meditating back on the ship… anywhere but near him.

"You mean the Avatar," he corrected.

"Don't say his name around these docks." He hissed, turning on him, "once word gets out that he's alive, every fire-bender will be out looking for him. I don't want anyone getting in the way…"

"'Getting in the way' of _what_, Prince Zuko?"

All three froze at hearing that drawling voice, turning to see a man with thick brown sideburns on his face.

Mariko straightened first, fighting the instinct to grab her sword's hilt.

"Captain Zhao," Zuko bit out in distaste, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's 'Commander' now, and General Iroh, great hero of our nation." Zhao returned calmly, bowing out of respect to the stocky general.

"'Retired' General," Iroh corrected.

"Lady Mariko, for a second I hadn't recognized you there; you're turning into a lovely girl." He nodded to the petite girl standing next to the general.

Mariko hesitated to sneer at her birthright title, nodding curtly, noticing her age-mate had stiffened out of the corner of her eye when addressed with a compliment. "Commander, it's a pleasure to see you as well." She drawled politely.

Zhao was one man she disliked greatly, mostly because he just thought he was so friggin' strong… She inwardly growled.

"The Fire Lord's brother, son and future daughter-in-law are welcome here. What brings you to my harbor?" Zhao asked, stirring her from her thoughts.

"We came to fix a few repairs on our ship," Iroh answered honestly, gesturing to the damage dealt to the ship that now resembled a weathered dinghy.  
Zhao appraised it with a raised brow. "That's quite a lot of damage."

"Yes, you wouldn't believe what happened…" Zuko answered promptly, hesitating, "Uncle! Tell Commander Zhao what happened." He offered, briefly surprising said general whereas his esteemed fiancé sweatdropped.

"Yes, I will do that… Um, it was horrid! We crashed, right..?" He glanced up in slight anxiety.

"Yes, we crashed! Right into a, uh…" Zuko hesitated.

"An Earth Kingdom ship!" Mariko piped up swiftly, sent a grateful glance from the prince.

Zhao soaked it in and nodded a little, "Really! You must regale me with all the thrilling details… Join me for a drink?" He smirked, turning to the prince.

Zuko's mouth formed into a thin line. "Sorry, but we have to go…" He started to walk off and drag the girl after his lead; he didn't want Zhao anywhere near her, for a reason even he didn't understand...

"Prince Zuko, show Commander Zhao your respect." Iroh reprimanded gently, making him pause. "We would be honored to join you. Do you have any ginseng tea? … It's my favorite." He turned to follow the commander away.

He seethed in annoyance, hands threatening to exhume embers from his palms were it not the reminder that he was holding her hand.

She blinked at feeling the heat from his grasp, blushing and looking away. "I'm not happy about this either… Don't feel like you're alone. Okay?" She tried to comfort him, looking up at his gold eyes and smiling faintly.

Zuko bit back the urge to reply in a snarky manner, seeing an honest need to be there for support in her amber eyes; he quieted and huffed a little, nodding once. "You're so weird." He grumbled, keeping her hand as he followed his elders.

Mariko blushed slightly as she could've sworn he'd squeezed her hand; she smiled privately, traipsing at his heels.

::::::::x-x::::::::

If only there was something to say.

'_Don't do this, you can restore your honor some other way, I'm sure of it!_'

But no, she knew. Everything she could come up with would only be met with a solid wall that was his resolution.  
So she said nothing.

"No sarcasm?" He wondered, perking her ears as she recalled having been waiting for him to end his meditating session; his gold eyes glanced over at her as she stood leaned against the wall, arms folded and having been staring into space.

She met his gaze and held it, contemplating opening her mouth but instead she decided to say nothing, only shaking her head.

That was strange for her, but then again, the majority of the time she was the definition of strange.

She shadowed him out into the corridor to meet with his uncle, her boots clacking softly on the floor beneath them.  
"Try not to burst into tears and sob uncontrollably or try and stop me from doing this." He said sardonically before they came down the corner that led to the end of the corridor, leading out into the dirt arena where his opponent would soon meet him on.

She scowled slightly at his sarcasm, inhaling and tugging on his wrist, pulling him back, doing the only instinctive and girly thing she could do: she kissed his cheek.

He looked at her in surprise, gold eyes sharp and wide, seeing she was blushing slightly, keeping her eyes down.

Mariko looked up at him, smiling a small smile, her curls framing her pale face in a surprisingly nice way. "Good luck, Zuko."

Zuko blushed a little at the small window of attraction he'd seen her in for a split second, looking away and clearing his throat. "T-thank you… Mariko." Why the hell was he stuttering? Why the hell did she **_kiss_** him?

She watched him walk ahead of her out onto the arena, sidling up to his uncle's side, noting the sun was slowly dying to give way to twilight.

"Sometimes it's best to not say anything at all." Iroh mused quietly at her side.

Mariko looked at him briefly before she looked away to the dying sun, blushing a little, vainly hoping he hadn't seen her kiss the prince. "Traveling alongside you gives me wisdom, General Iroh."

It wasn't long before the gong was hit and the duel began; it seemed as if the sun's burning light had dropped to the earth, taking the form of the ferocious bouts of fire-bending that screamed from one opponent's fists to the other's, tension searing the air around them, fumigating the senses of those who had come to watch.

On one particular vicious jet of flames from Zhao that sent the prince skidding back on the ground off his feet, she gritted her teeth, the frustration shared with her companions threatening to make her exorcise it through bending; she growled, hands balled into fists at her sides.

"Mariko." A firm gentle hand grabbed her right shoulder from the side; she turned slightly to meet the warm gold eyes of Iroh, the subliminal command for her to calm herself burning in his gaze. "Right now it is not the best time to use your bending." His gaze returned to the scene. "Control yourself." He released her shoulder, turning his full attention to the spar.

She stared at him wide-eyed, slightly agape.

How did he…? No, that was impossible. She had kept it a secret since she was a child, controlled it to the point where it was tamed by the time she was fourteen, to the point where noone would suspect she was anything but a Fire Nation nobleman's daughter!

_How did he figure it out?_

Soon Zuko had Zhao on the run, sending bout after sharp bout of flames screaming at him until he knocked his older opponent onto the ground; she widened her eyes slightly, watching him send a fireball at his head only to miss on purpose as it hit the earth to the left of his head.

"Your father raised a coward!" Zhao spat at the victorious prince.

Zuko straightened, glowering at him, "Next time you get in my way, I promise I won't miss." He drawled coldly, turning about to retreat to his end of the arena.

With a snarl the commander sent a bout of fire at his open back.

"_Zuko!_" She sprinted forward, skidding to a halt when Zhao's oncoming flames were blocked by the opened palm of Iroh's left hand, sending him sprawling back on the ground back-first.

Zhao balked at the quick block; Mariko stood defensively infront of the victor, katana drawn and bared as her amber eyes looked mutinous; Zuko snarled a curse and made to lunge when both his uncle and age-mate reprimanded him quickly.

"No, Prince Zuko! Do not taint your victory." Iroh advised, turning once his nephew had calmed a little and scowling in disapproval at the defeated commander. "So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat? Disgraceful."

Mariko spat at him. "Accept defeat with _honor_ why don't you?" She growled stiffly, reluctantly sheathing her sword.

"Lady Mariko, that is enough for now." Her elder quieted her, pretending she didn't snort in an unladylike manner, keeping his eyes on the commander. "Even in exile, my nephew has more honor than you. Thank you again for your hospitality, and your tea; it was delicious." He said on a calmer note, turning to leave.

The girl glared coldly at the loser of the spar and turned with a soft scoff, taking the victor's hand and following.

"Uncle, did you really mean that?" Zuko asked quietly when they were past the gates to the arena.

Iroh smiled, "Of course; I told you, ginseng tea is my favorite."

Mariko smiled thoughtfully, blinking when she remembered she still held onto his hand; she blushed a shade of pink and dropped it quickly as if his palm were on fire, crossing her arms over her chest and coughing. "I don't think Zhao will question you again." She mused stiffly, pretending she hadn't been holding his hand, and pretending he was wearing a shirt.

He allowed a smirk at her tomboyish comment, huffing. "Doubt it, not if you emasculate him with that sword of yours." He teased; when she wasn't being annoying, she was fun to tease.

She growled and smacked his chest roughly, making him wince; she scoffed, placing her hands at her hips. "Don't act smug just because you won, you royal pain. Just because you won an Agni-Kai against that bastard doesn't make you suddenly attractive." She groused, blushing prettily, cutting her gaze away.

"So you're calling me '_attractive_' now? Why the change of heart, _**Mari**__?_" He drawled, smirking fully when seeing the blush deepen on her pale cheeks.

"I… Oh piss off, will you? Zhao won't be the _only one_ to get _emasculated_ if you keep opening your mouth, **_Your Highness_**." Mariko snapped cattily, spitting out the last two words with heavy sarcasm and a tinge of venom, storming ahead of both men with her chin up and her arms crossed.

Zuko pouted after her, rubbing the spot she'd hit him, catching the quiet chuckle from his uncle. "What's so funny?" He grated.

"Nothing at all, Prince Zuko." Iroh smiled brightly, further fueling the annoyed look on his nephew's face. "Normally I would not agree with my brother, but his choice in betrothing you to her was a good choice after all." He said, putting on that sweet look most grandparents gave to their grandchildren when they wished to frazzle their nerves.

Zuko snorted.

Mariko pretended she didn't hear him.

* * *

**well to answer ****_The Element of Air'_****s question, here's your answer. thanks for reviewing!**

**to everyone else out there who's reading this, srsly, one little review won't hurt. more than that and i'll love you for life~ = 3=**

**chapter three is in the works, gents, so until then, later!**

***edit: yeah, i don't like Zhao muchly. sorry Zhao fangirls out there! /bows**


	3. Water III

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

**_Water III_**

* * *

She busted out laughing when he returned from his excursion.

The general gave her an odd look briefly before smiling in amusement, seeing smoke coming from his nephew's ears.

"Zuko, if you really wanted a cold shower you should've said something sooner; we coulda stopped off at a resort!" She snickered as he passed by to storm off to his room.

"Shut it, Mariko!" He snarled over his shoulder, slamming the door shut when he reached his destination.

She giggled, grinning widely at his retreat with his proverbial tail between his legs, sighing and bouncing to plonk down near his uncle on the deck, resuming her previous task of meditating.

"Um, General Iroh?" She spoke after a few moments of companionable silence, pausing him as he looked up from playing solitaire; she couldn't meditate with the questions buzzing in her head. "Can I ask you something?" She asked quietly.

He turned slightly from his game to address the questioning expression on her pretty face. "What is it, Mariko?"

She hesitated, glancing at the stairwell leading to the deck and glancing up at the helm to see the coast was clear; she exhaled steadily, turning to him. "How… how did you know, about my secret?" She asked slowly.

The wise general briefly recalled her flaring temper the day of Zuko's Agni-Kai with Zhao and then put down the card he had in hand.

"At first it did not seem though you were any different from… normal people. But to be honest, you do not act like normal girls from the Fire Nation. You are different from my niece and her friends, as an example, in that you respect people more than is expected of other girls and seem more… down to earth." He smiled thoughtfully. "Considering the many incidents where my nephew and you butt heads is also something that tipped you off. You don't meditate at the same time as fire-benders do, either. Midday, if I were to wager. I don't know many earth-benders."

She bit her lip, looking down. "I didn't know it was that obvious. My parents had adopted me from a lower slum of Omashu, and I've managed to tame my bending since I was little." She ran a hand through her curly hair loosely put in a bun, smiling bitterly. "I'm just grateful it was you who found out than Zuko or anyone else. I don't want to beg, but can I ask that you please keep my… heritage, a secret? Please?" She didn't know what would happen if she was found out by someone with less-honorable intentions, but the thought of being found out scared her to her core.

She had to pray General Iroh never slipped.

Iroh smiled warmly as an attempt to comfort the girl, especially at hearing the fear leaving cracks in her usually calm voice, nodding. "I will keep it secret, for as long as possible." For her sake and his nephew's, he would keep it even if he went to his grave.

Mariko looked up alertly at hearing his words, a bright light shining in her face as relief washed over her; she wanted to embrace him for it but she remembered decorum was in place still. So she straightened and bowed respectfully (and gratefully) to him. "Thank you, so much, General Iroh." She said, beaming when she straightened to her full height, before leaving him be to go meditate in her cabin.

* * *

A knock sounded on his door.

"I'm busy!" He snapped, concentration to meditate lost as it had been a few days prior to his slip-up on Kiyoshi Island.  
Something poked his door from the opposite end. "Busy enough to not want to spar?" Her voice asked, slightly muffled.

His gold eyes opened slightly at hearing the word; since when did she want to spar? Or did she want to prove him wrong by wishing to spar with him?

She straightened from leaning against the opposing wall facing his door when it opened to reveal him standing there with a curious-yet-cautious expression on his handsome face.

"With what?" He asked.

She lifted up her sword from its post next to her right leg. "Swords. I know you keep those broadswords with you; Iroh mentioned they were heirlooms or something to that effect. So is this katana." She answered calmly, holding it to his eyes.

The prince looked from the sword to its owner, narrowing his eyes. "What's the catch…?" He dared ask.

The earth-bender pursed her lips, exhaling. "I'm not Azula, you prat. Just spar with me." She requested patiently.

Zuko took her word and then complied reluctantly. "I'll be on the front deck in a few minutes." He replied.  
Smiling a briefly genuine smile, Mariko nodded and let him get changed, bouncing to the front deck of the ship, glad to spar with him.

::::::::x-x::::::::

General Iroh had told her he'd kept those swords since he'd been banished, so she only wondered how skilled he was and if his swordsmanship was as lethal as his fire-bending.

He appeared as appointed adorning a loose tunic and pants –a sight she was relieved to see, given that the last time she'd seen him spar he was bare-chested—with his broadswords on hand.

She pouted from her spot yards away near the tip of the deck's edge, tapping her chin.

He made a face. "What's the face for?" He demanded.

"Use one sword; if you use both, you're not being fair." She answered calmly.

Grumbling under his breath he complied and propped one of the twins against the wall behind him, lowering the sword below the hip, getting into a stance, watching her draw her katana; a vein twitched on his temple at her subconsciously elegant manner with drawing the sword she now held in her left hand.

Since when was she left-handed?

Brushing aside the question, Zuko initiated the spar and launched forward to swing his sword down on her head; Mariko swiveled out of the way, lashing out at his briefly open back before his broadsword's blade connected sharply with her katana's, sparks flying as the blades screeched.

Her amber eyes gleamed with a cat-like playfulness. "Watch your back, _princeling_." She teased, effortlessly disengaging the blades to draw back, watching him mirror her.

He huffed, smirking derisively. "Keep your guard up, then, _smart-ass._" He snarled as he flew forward.

The spar continued between the two friends, blades swinging and clashing viciously with the intention to cut, to fight for dominance, the sun that climbed to its peak high in the middle of the day's blue sky glinting its light off the swiftly moving blades.

With a growl he forced his weight onto the blades as they connected for what seemed the umpteenth time, gripping the handle tight to the point where his knuckles were stark white, glowering down at her amber eyes, gold eyes blazing.

Both teenagers panted, tension caused by the spar and growing afternoon's heat electrifying the air around them, having been dancing with blades for what felt like hours.

Up close to her, he never would've imagined she had indeed turned into a lovely girl; there was a thin line on her full lips, caught between a frown and a snarl, her pale skin flushed from the fight and adrenaline that both of them were afflicted with, her mane of curly hair frizzed and glistening sunlight to make the strands almost look sepia.

When did she get to be so beautiful?

_Feminine wiles came in handy_.

Mariko's amber eyes flared brilliantly before she rammed her head into his in a head-butt, sending him reeling back; taking the opening, she flicked her wrist to knock the broadsword from his hand's grip, a foot extending to trip him.

The cool steel floor of the deck broke his fall as Zuko was felled, landing back-first on the hard surface; he shut his eyes in a brief glimmer of pain that radiated from the back of his head and his back, snapping them open when she aimed the tip of her katana at his face, gold eyes going cross-eyed when the blade paused short of puncturing the rounded end of his nose.

She panted slightly, giddy and proud that she'd knocked him on his ass (literally), containing it as best as possible and only grinning wryly down at the felled prince.

He scowled up at her, reluctant to swallow his pride and accept defeat, pretending she didn't giggle even as she removed the sword's tip from drawing his blood, stepping away to let him sit up.

Mariko smiled innocently when he stood and stalked away to retrieve his discarded sword, sheathing her katana with the scabbard (it'd been attached to her back by the strap). "One win for me." She mused.

"That was a fluke! You caught me off guard." Zuko snapped, bristling, sheathing the swords pointedly as he turned to her.

She crossed her arms at her chest, tutting. "Not by my standards." She hummed, smirking when he growled a soft curse, exhaling and brushing wet locks of hair from her cheek; she bowed respectfully to him, straightening with a smile that looked somewhere between fondness and cheekiness. "Thanks for sparring with me, anyway. You could've had me for a second, but speed usually outdoes power."

He didn't know whether to snort or scoff; so he huffed, folding his arms. "Don't remind me. What exactly possessed you to want to spar with me, in the first place?" He asked, watching her trod to plop down in the shade of the helm, releasing a soft moan of relief; his ears tingled at the moan and he vainly pretended she didn't do that, shuffling to sit with her.

"Dunno, I guess I was curious to see if you were as lethal with swords as you are with fire-bending. And you didn't disappoint. Losing to a girl is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, though." She smiled up at the clear day, stretching her legs out infront of her.

He studied her briefly, finding it strange that she could be a fierce swordsman that was fleet-footed and quick, and the next second be a calmed spirit enjoying the nice weather. His gold eyes looked forward at the tip of the ship's nose, mirroring her and stretching his longer legs out next to hers. "I suppose it's comforting that I didn't disappoint you. Why're you so nice today? You're not being very sarcastic." He asked again, glancing at her, at the mess of frizzy black hair that was gathered around her neck.

She shifted, drawing a red hair-tie from the confines of her tunic's inner folds and raising her hands to tie her hair back into a loose ponytail. "Even though we're at each other's throats half the time, I wanted to try and make nice. Besides the fact that it's fun to argue with you, we need to get along if we ever get back to the Fire Nation. Knowing our parents, they'll expect something along the lines of 'hopelessly in love'." She blushed at the thought as he coughed and did his best to ignore the blush on his cheeks, "And to be honest, you look more like your old self when you smile." She looked him in the eye and smiled softly.

Zuko felt his cheeks redden; he looked away, for once feeling like an awkward teenager instead of a strong prince of the Fire Nation. She always did this to him when she acted weird… Well okay, like a girl. "Like I'm ever going to be 'my old self'… Not with this damn thing." He grumbled, indicating the mark on his left eye.

"The scar doesn't change you, Zuko. Not to me." Mariko stated stubbornly, perking his ears as she saw him freeze for a nanosecond. Her amber eyes softened slowly, resembling melted suns. "You're still the sweet boy you were before all this happened. Of course you're stronger than you were then, and you're matured in some aspects…" She giggled when he shot her a look, waving it off. "But I know you're the same Zuko you were two years ago, and that's the Zuko I followed out here into the wild."

If she didn't frazzle his nerves the way she did he would've kissed her.

But, he was still a boy, and he cursed the damned awkwardness that came along with being a teenager; he looked at her softened amber eyes to see they were stubborn despite it all, stubborn to prove to him that not only was he still the boy he was that she had befriended all those years ago, but to also prove that she knew he was good.

_... He had to be._

"When you're not being a pain, you actually make sense. I guess I take you for granted sometimes. Sorry." He offered a half smile.

She exhaled and smiled back, gingerly raising a hand to trace her fingers along the scar on his skin, watching him close his eyes at the feeling; she blushed, finding he looked calmer when his eyes were closed, leaning in to kiss his cheek softly.

Zuko blushed again, his cheeks pink, when feeling her kiss, eyes snapping open to see she was smiling a sort of quirky smile that put emphasis on the opinion that she was weird but the fact that she meant it when she told him she would be there for him so he wouldn't have to face the world alone.

Mariko smiled again, shuffling away to straighten and yawn. "Come on, it's cooler below deck." She advised, offering a hand.

He took it, straightening with little effort, giving her fingers a small squeeze before releasing them to head down below.

She smiled softly at his leave, following his descent into the darkness.

* * *

**wow you guys must really want me to finish Book I.. awesome! lol  
i can't thank you guys enough for dropping the loving feedback. i can't answer all of the reviews but just know i'm very grateful for them and a shoutout to ****_The Element of Air_**** for faving/following this story first (:**

**hope you guys keep them coming. chapter four is almost done so until then, later! and thanks again~**

***edit: there wasn't much to cover in two episodes regarding Zuko so this was a filler chapter compliments of yours truly. hope y'liked! :'D**


	4. Water IV

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Water IV**_

* * *

A low groan sounded as she reappeared from having disappeared through the wood to get to the ship; he looked in her direction as she had brought one of the rhinos out and was seated on its back, the reins in hand.

"Mariko, what the hell're…?" He began to demand.

She gripped the reins, scowling patiently at his burning gold eyes. "I'm going to go look for him. If you want to wait until morning, that's up to you, but I'm going to take him back before the earth-benders take him to Ba Sing Se." She answered calmly, her own amber eyes briefly reminding him of a cat peering into the darkness.

"You're reckless," he grated, nearing her to hop onto the rhino's saddle, looking to the guards. "We'll continue the search on rhino, you all return to the ship." He ordered, seeing them nod before they left them be.

She stared ahead into the darkness, huffing. "Hold on tight." She advised, snapping the reins; the rhino groaned and cantered away, leaving the prince to cling to her small waist for dear life.

"You don't think they've hurt him, do you?" She wondered when they were deeper into the forest, glancing back at him, the rhino calmed to a trot.

He shook his head slightly, relaxing his hold on her waist. "No, I doubt it; if they wanted justice, then they'd bring him in with minimal injury." He blinked at hearing the worry in her tone, quieting. "Look, he's gonna be okay, Mari." He knew she hated that nickname but it was as close to a petname as she was going to get for now.

She nodded, smiling at his attempt to comfort, staring forward, knowing dawn was approaching soon. "Right." It wasn't like Iroh was her father or grandfather, not really, but he was her friend, and confidant in terms of her earth-bending kept secret.

She still felt concern for the old guy.

"Hold on a second," he declared as they rounded another bend in the winding path; she brought the rhino to a halt, letting him hop down to inspect what appeared to be a discarded sandal that had been left on the path.

"Is that his?" She asked as he brought it up to his face to examine it.

Sniffing it, he grimaced, repulsed at the stink, "Yep, that's Uncle Iroh." He confirmed, tossing it to her before climbing back onto their steed.

She nodded, quieting a chuckle at his repulsed expression, ribbing the rhino to go onward as daybreak was creeping fast over the treetops around them.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"Zuko, head's up!"

He ducked in time as a boulder was sent sailing at one of the earth-benders; _hang on, since when…?_

His uncle perked up as she eased her stance, surprised she had decided to show what she could do so soon.  
She huffed, regarding the last two with a glare.

"Traitor, you're an earth-bender!" One of the two soldiers declared accusatively.

Mariko glared at him pointedly, knowing a certain prince was going to give her the third degree as soon as things were calm, getting into a stance. "I'm as much of an earth-bender as you… but my loyalty hasn't wavered from Prince Zuko." She answered stiffly, grunting and sending another hunk of rock to plow hard into the man, sending him flying to hit the rim of the small pit with a slightly muffled '_crack_'.

"Mariko," he balked at the power she had, the power she'd withheld from him for as long as he could remember, seeing her straighten her posture; she looked at him and held his stare with a sad smile.

The third bender sailed at her when she wasn't looking.

"**Move**!" Zuko ordered, sending a jet of orange flames screaming at the soldier as she ducked out of the way of the blast, flying into the distance.

She flexed her knuckles, shuffling to help Iroh out of the chains. "I'm glad you're all right, General Iroh." She smiled in relief, pretending he was fully clothed instead of wearing the makeshift underwear.

"_Why the hell didn't you tell me!?_" He nearly exploded, making her cringe.  
She knew this was coming…

"Prince Zuko, now is not the time." His uncle stepped in, looking at his nephew reprovingly.

He made to open his mouth and badger her but took one glance around and decided he was right. He growled and stormed away, leading the way out of the pit.

She frowned after him, sighing and following with his uncle at her side.

* * *

She ran the cloth over the flat side of the katana's blunt end, trying her best to keep from letting her nerves become unsettled.

What would he do? Would he yell at her? Send her back to the Fire Nation as a captive? Have her killed?

She shuddered and instead kept her focus on the task of polishing her sword.

A knock sounded at her cabin door (she'd been relieved he hadn't sent her to the prison cells of the ship… and she hoped he wouldn't; she quite liked her room); she looked up, lowering the sword to the floor and straightening, shuffling to answer it. "What is it?" She asked, hesitating to open it even though she had a good hunch who was on the opposite end.

"Just open the door." He said on the other side, his voice muffled.

Inhaling to steady her nerves, she obeyed and opened the cabin door, noting he was in his sleeping robe; she lowered her gaze and let him inside, closing the door.

"Zuko, I…" She began to speak when he raised a hand to quiet her; she listened and rested her back against the steel door, waiting for him to talk.

He was surprisingly calm about it; she half-hoped his uncle had something to do with that. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked carefully.

She raised a hand to rub her left arm absently, finding the side wall interesting to look at. "Noone was supposed to know; the only people that knew before two years ago are my foster parents. I never wanted to lie to you, or your uncle, but I… I didn't want anyone to know about my being an earth-bender." She explained softly.

"So what possessed you to bring it into the light now? Why now? And why didn't you tell me, _me **personally**!_" He snapped, reverting to the flared temper he'd exhibited in the pit, twisting to see there was a cringe on her pretty face. "**Mariko**."

"Because you needed my help!" She shouted, seeing him pause; she closed her eyes. "I never told you because I was afraid. I was afraid you'd sell me out to your father or to Azula or anyone in your family or the other nobles. Zuko, please… Please believe me." She quietly pleaded, cringing when she heard him make a step closer.

"You idiot." He growled, seeing her wince at his scolding; if he were in better standing with his father, he would've ratted her out, but he wasn't like that. He knew she didn't lie to hurt him… He knew she was telling the truth about not wanting to hurt him. "What you told that soldier in the pit, about your loyalty to me… Did you mean it?" He asked, his tone brittle, even though his voice had quieted.

She opened her eyes partly, looking at his boots, nodding. "Why else would I have come with you after your father banished you?" She whispered, tentatively looking into his gold eyes. "Zuko, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. You and your uncle are all I have out here, the only friends I have, really." She smiled weakly. "I never swore allegiance to your father or anyone in the family… Just you." She admitted.

He stared at her in slight surprise, his brain trying to process all she'd just told him, and one thought came to mind.

_She didn't betray him... she was an earth-bender... and she was here to support him no matter what._

Zuko slowly exhaled, looking away from her, letting it soak in. "Mariko."

Mariko raised a brow briefly, confused, seeing him lift a hand; she fought a wince, looking up at him when his hand descended to tousle her hair.

He had to smile, even if it was a small one, at the innocent confusion on her brow. "I believe you."

She widened her eyes slightly, her gaze sombering as tears began to prickle and sting the back of her eyes; she closed her eyes and sniffed, throwing her arms around him and embracing him tightly.

Blushing a shade of reddish pink, Zuko began to say something when he felt her frame tremble softly; he quieted and accepted her embrace, lifting his free hand to hold onto her upper back as she cried.

Mariko buried her face into his shoulder, relieved for the first time in what felt like ages, that a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

* * *

**i humbly apologize and take responsibility if i made Zuko too OOC in this chap! /bows also, let me know if i jumped the gun with letting Mariko's secret out too soon.. i was covering episode 8 and just thought the moment was right for her to exhibit her bending.**

**anyway, hope to hear some more lovely feedback! until next chap, later~ (:**


	5. Water V

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

**_Water V_**

* * *

Smoke rose up from the burning island temple.

Boot heels clacking on the deck, she continued to pace, every once in a while looking to the island; she shouldn't be worried for him, it would only fuel his ego for all she knew, but she was worried regardless.

Why did he have to be so reckless?

Dusk fell to the darkness of evening soon, perking her ears as she watched his motor-boat return to the larger ship that was damaged, smoke dancing softly from the remains; she hurried to greet him as he hopped onto the deck with help from his uncle.

"You idiot!"

He didn't get a chance to see who had insulted him before a blur of maroon and black flew at him, throwing their arms around his neck. Blinking once, he looked down to recognize the messy head of curly black hair that belonged to Mariko.

Zuko looked up briefly at his uncle who in turn smiled in a manner that reminded him just what his tie was to this girl and why she had come with him in his banishment; he inwardly sighed, knowing she was going to scold him plenty by the next morning, holding onto her.

_Girls were so weird._

* * *

"…Better to find something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"

She deadpanned at all the trinkets he'd bought, tilting her head to the side. "I didn't see much of anything close to a lotus tile like you described, actually." She vainly hoped they could get out of this seedy wharf soon; the leering looks some of the men gave her were annoying her.

"That's because he misplaced it somewhere on the damn ship." His nephew groused next to her, folding his arms tighter over his chest.

"Well at least it was good to stretch your legs, right?" She guessed, looking at him with a slightly cheeky smile.

He made a face, earning a quiet chuckle from her. "If you wouldn't be so _annoying_, I'd agree."

She pursed her lips and huffed, punching him in the shoulder, turning away. "Come on, I don't think you tried this ship yet, Uncle." She called to their elder, placing her hands at her back as she went.

Zuko glared after her, stomping in her direction to keep an eye on his technical-fiancé, grumbling a few choice words under his breath. "Since when did you let her call you '_Uncle_'?" He demanded cattily.

"You might as well get used to it, Prince Zuko; at this rate I believe Mariko will stick around for as long as possible." Iroh answered, smiling at the prospect that she trusted him enough to think of him as her uncle.

Mariko stepped aboard the ship, glancing around at the various odds and ends that were considered merchandise, blinking as she caught sight of what appeared to be a stone statue only a few feet tall with rubies encrusted into the stone, formed into a necklace around the monkey's neck and twin rubies for the eyes.

_Creepy_ _thing_…

"Well now, what brings you to our humble trinket shop, young lady?" She jumped slightly at being met with the slim tanned face of one of the venders, blinking again before noting that he didn't look like someone to be trusted. She offered a polite smile, "Oh, um, my uncle and cousin were looking around, and I just came to see the interesting things you have on your ship." She lied effortlessly.

The vender seemed to eye the petite girl for one slow second before putting on a cheesy smile. "See anything you might like, then?"  
"Um, well…"

"There you are, darling." A familiar arm wrapped around her waist from behind, and she put on another polite smile to keep from slumping against him in relief. "I was wondering where you'd gotten to."

Mariko glanced up at the stiff line on the prince's lips and made a mental note to thank him for the save once they were far from the wharf, looking to see her '_uncle_' had arrived as well to examine some of the trinkets on the other side of the room. "Sorry to have worried you, love." She knew he would be blushing just as she was trying not to do, if his poker-face expression wasn't as solid as it was.

At seeing the boy that appeared to be her boyfriend, the vender backed off –if only to get away from the blazing annoyance burning from the boy's gold eyes—to return to his previous conversation with the captain of their ship. "As I was saying, we lost the water-tribe girl and the bald monk she was traveling with." He relayed grimly.

Zuko released her waist –he could've sworn she'd leaned onto him when he'd entered the ship to save her from being hounded by that "vender"—to step forward, overhearing them. "The monk, did he have arrow markings on his head?" He asked.

Great, here we go again…

::::::::x-x::::::::

_I am so going to maim him!_

A loud '_klang_' resounded, surprising the pirate captain and briefly surprising the prince.  
"I told you to watch your back." She scolded dryly, disengaging the blades sharply and swinging hers at the captain, sending him on the defense with a flurry of strikes.

"Hah, what kind of prince are you, letting a little girl fight your battles?" The captain jeered from blocking a sharp lunge from the "little girl", punting her away.

The blank expression gave way to a cold glare as she dropped the sword to leap at him, landing nimbly behind the captain on one foot, twisting about and summoning a boulder with a flick of her wrist. "This '_little_ _girl_' can kick your ass." She grunted and sent the boulder to crash into the captain, sending him flying.

He'd disappeared again; she groaned under her breath and snatched her sword from the ground, hurrying away to get back to the boat.

::::::::x-x::::::::

A loud crash sounded when the boats went over the waterfall.

"My boat!" He exclaimed when they'd made it to the edge overlooking the river, skidding to a halt.

She looked down at the cold waters and felt relief that at least they weren't on the boat… Though getting back to the ship would probably leave him seething with irritation.

"Prince Zuko, you're not going to believe this… The lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!" His uncle laughed as he withdrew the round Pai-Sho tile from his left sleeve.

Seething, the annoyed prince snatched it from his hand and chucked it over the waterfall.  
The earth-bender sweatdropped, thinking to open her mouth and say something but instead she kept it closed.

Knowing Zuko, he would most likely throttle her for throwing out a sarcastic comment.

* * *

**seriously, hardly any ****reviews****? what's up, guys? **  
**/le-sigh anyway, sorry if the chapter is short, i apologize for that. /bows feedback is loved so feel free to throw some. thanks and until next chapter, later~ (:**


	6. Water VI

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Water VI**_

* * *

"What the hell do you know of respect? The way you talk to everyone around here, from your hard-working crew to your esteemed uncle and girlfriend, you know nothing about respect!" The lieutenant snarled irritably.

The general slapped his forehead; the earth-bender hesitated to intervene, knowing he was pushing his buttons at a speeding rate that warranted danger.

The coming storm clouds weren't as ominous as the electrifying tension on the front deck.

"You don't have an ounce of respect… but then again what can I expect from a _spoiled_, **_banished_** prince?" He continued.

He turned to glower at him, shifting into a stance that his challenger mirrored instantly, locked in a staring match.

"Both of you cut it out!" She declared sharply as their extended wrists locked, smoke starting to sizzle up from their open palms; she made to step forward when her 'uncle' reprimanded her gently, watching him move closer.

"Enough. We are all a bit tired from being at sea for so long… I'll bet after a bowl of noodles, everyone will feel much better." Iroh declared, glancing from the lieutenant to the prince, both sporting cold glares that could put a glacier to shame.

Both would-be combatants dispersed, the prince stepping away to face the clouds and the lieutenant back into the shadow of the helm.

"I don't need your help keeping order on my ship." Zuko growled, sharply shrugging off his uncle's hand that lifted to grasp his shoulder, moving away.

Mariko exhaled, offering a kind smile and brief apologetic bow to the crew that had witnessed the scene, shrugging past his uncle to near him. "Zuko." She said quietly, contemplating lifting a hand to his shoulder as his uncle had but deciding against it, clasping her hands infront of her waist.

He briefly glanced back at the concerned look on her face and then snorted, looking forward with a determined scowl. "I'm fine, Mariko." He lied.

She scowled concernedly at him, holding her hands tighter, sliding her eyes closed and huffing quietly. "If you want to talk, you know where to find me." She reminded, turning away to head back below deck, placing her hands in the pockets of her pants; she spared one last look at him facing the proverbial (and literal) storm that seemed to be growing in strength, looking away to continue below.

* * *

'_Who does Prince Zuko think he is!?_'

She scowled slightly at his words that echoed in her head, redefining the strokes on the paper.

Having been schooled in the fine art of being a girl since she was three years old, there were many things her mother had put her through; from dancing to fan-wielding to etiquette lessons… But there was one thing she loved to do most out of the many "lessons".

That was painting.

If only he knew…  
That day wasn't a pleasant day to her; in fact it was the worst day she'd lived through.

|||||||||||||||||||||||X..X||||||||||||||||||||||  
_  
'Aren't you going to root for your brother?' She'd asked the younger sibling of the prince, glancing at her as she sat to her right._

_The tawny-eyed princess had scoffed, the grim smirk on her pretty lips stretching at such a ludicrous thing. 'Why should I? He's going to lose! Father clearly outmatches him in both strength and skill…'_

_She'd scowled at the stage-arena before them, before hundreds of spectators that had come to watch the Agni-Kai, her hands in her lap subconsciously forming into fists. 'Even so, he's still your older brother, Azula. He's firstborn and heir to the throne! What kind of sister doesn't support her own sibling?' She'd asked, bristling a little._

_Azula had laughed, smirking again in a sweet and poisonous way that often irritated her more, her tawny eyes narrowing accusatively at her supposed friend and brother's fiancé. 'You're afraid he'll die, aren't you? I can see that clearly written on your face… Really, Mariko. This is a surprise to see you showing concern for my dear brother. Since when did the tomboy begin to show feelings for the prince? If it's because you two are betrothed then that just makes this sickening to watch!' She'd snickered._

_Mariko had glared slightly at the younger girl, ignoring the blush tainting her pale cheeks; she'd huffed, straightening to leave the arena._

_A sudden flare of flames came out of the corner of her eye, a pained cry coming from the inexperienced boy, the boy who'd basically challenged his father to an Agni-Kai._

_She stiffened where she stood for a split second, shutting her eyes closed tight as if his pain were her own; she hurried out of the arena, running as fast as she could to try and outrun his pain, to outrun the sound of his cry that rang in her ears..._

|||||||||||||||||||||||||X..X|||||||||||||||||||||||

"Bastard." She snarled, her voice echoing in the cabin, making her jump as she had forgotten briefly of where she was.

Mariko looked to see the brush was cracked near the bottom where the coarse hairs started, preferably from her tight grip. She lowered it gingerly, looking down at the painting on her desk.

There was an intricate portrait of a younger Zuko, a Zuko with the brightness of a million suns in his eyes… a Zuko with no scar on his handsome face.

She smiled softly at the painting, scrawling her name onto the bottom right corner, putting away her ink case and cracked brush, letting it dry.

||||||||||||||||||||||||X..X|||||||||||||||||||||||||  
_The turtle-ducklings made chirping noises as she fed them bits of bread, seeming grateful for the snack._

_'Um, Mariko?' His voice had spoken behind her, perking her ears._

_She'd furrowed her brow slightly, huffing. 'I said I didn't want to train with you, Zuko.'_

_He'd grumbled something under his breath before stepping closer, extending his right hand out, holding a lotus to her; she'd looked at it in surprise, looking to him next to see there was a rosiness coloring his cheeks, his gold eyes cast downward. 'Look, I just wanted to… apologize. Ty Lee said these were your favorite. So just take the flower, okay?' He'd bit out, the blush in his cheeks deepening in shyness._

_She'd blushed slightly, taking the flower from his hand, looking down to see the stem had been bent a little; he'd probably been holding onto it too tight. She'd nodded, smiling a little at the ducklings that swam towards their mother. 'I'm sorry too, for being a brat.' She'd admitted with a small chuckle..._

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||X..X||||||||||||||||||||||||

Three years had passed by and he was still an awkward turtle-duck with two left feet when it came to girls... Some things never changed, did they?

Mariko smiled thoughtfully at the memory of a peaceful time, a peaceful time she wouldn't mind having once again.

A sharp clap of thunder sounded, almost a deafening growl, and she grappled for the wall when the ship shifted to one side shortly after the thunder growled; damn it.

::::::::x-x::::::::

She threw open her door and sprinted up to the front deck, skidding to a halt at the sight of the pouring rain that pelted her like hailstones and the bolt of lightning that came shooting down at the ship.

Thinking quick, Iroh redirected the bolt and sent it jetting in the opposite direction it came from, electrocuting himself minimally, smoke rising up from his form.

She sighed in relief, yelping when the next wave rocked the ship and she almost stumbled, scrambling over to the general's side. "What're we going to do?" She asked, raising her voice against the softly howling winds.

Before he could answer, the sight of a beige bison flying in the distance against the clouds and rain stirred everyone's attention away.

"What shall we do, sir?" The lieutenant asked when the prince took notice of the flying bison.

He hesitated briefly before answering, determination slipping back onto his face, "Let him go; we need to get this ship to safety." He stated.  
She looked at him in surprise; since when was he thinking about everyone else?

"In that case, we need to steer directly into the eye of the storm." His uncle agreed, seeming elated that his nephew was finally thinking about not just his sake but theirs as well.

He glanced over at her, seeing a soft smile on her lips, something like relief and pride shining in her amber eyes; he smiled a tiny smile in return.

* * *

**yes i incorporated flashback-scenes in this chapter (: i had gotten a few reviews prior to this regarding the episode, _The_ _Storm_, in Book I and, well hopefully i didn't disappoint. thanks for being patient with me, those of you who suggested i go into detail regarding Mariko's backstory. in regards to her ties to the family.. well, that's something for another time, and i'm not going to spoil it for you lot.**

**thanks for reading and don't be shy in sending reviews my way! they make my day. ^^ later!**


	7. Water VII

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Water VII**_

* * *

"…The admiral won't allow you to pass through this region." The officer insisted before the livid prince.  
He glared in further annoyance, "Off my ship!"

She looked at the anger on his face, pausing in sipping her tea to take note of the desperation beginning to creep to the fore, the fear beginning to show more prominently.

He was losing the one chance to reclaim his honor and birthright…  
_  
Zuko_.

::::::::x-x::::::::

Her hair wasn't being kind to her again.

She exhaled, giving up in trying to fiddle with it using her fingers, knocking on his door. "Zuko? Can I come in?" She asked.  
No answer, silence.

She pursed her lips briefly, knocking a little harder. "Don't tell me you're mad at the world again, are you?" She guessed, quieting to vainly hear something on the opposite side, the crackle of flames, or shuffling of robes even, if she was lucky.

Silence again.

Mariko frowned, shoulders slumping; she shuffled to take a seat infront of the door, folding her legs as if to meditate.  
Two years had taught her not only wisdom but patience as well.

She would wait for him to answer, even if it took all night.

* * *

"What are you doing out here?" A familiar voice demanded tiredly.

She roused, opening an eye to see him returned; she closed her eyes and then opened them again to better see that it was really him, noting he looked exhausted.

"I waited for you to answer my knocking; guess I dozed off. Sorry." She rubbed her eyes of sand.

He scowled slightly, in no mood to deal with her. "Well I wasn't here. If you're done, I'd like to get some sleep." He declared.

She moved out of the way, straightening with a yawn. "Then where've you been all night? I'd have figured you hadn't gone ashore to go pay a visit to Zhao." She asked as he opened the door, her left eye twitching at noting that it had been unlocked the whole damn time.

"That's none of your business. Good night, Mariko." He dismissed dryly, stepping inside; he made to close the door behind him were it not for her foot placed in the way. He glared into a pair of stubborn amber eyes. "Get your foot out of the way, idiot."

"Not until you tell me what the hell you were doing last night." She snapped, stubbornness screaming in her gaze, as she forced herself into the room, shrugging past him to face him a few feet away with her arms crossed.

"I don't have to answer to you, now get the hell out of my room!" He bit out, storming up to her, hands fisting at his sides.

Mariko stood her ground like the stubborn earth-bender she was, jaw locked and a thin line on her lips. "I'm not going anywhere until you answer my question." She spat stiffly, amber eyes screaming defiance.

"And if I throw you out of here without answering it?" Zuko growled, stepping closer, nearly-translucent smoke coming from his nostrils.

She huffed, a cheeky and defiant smirk curling her lip, unfolding her arms to poke his chest. "Like you could ever bring yourself to lay a finger on me. Besides, you know I'm _faster_ than you, Zuko." She drawled, tipping her chin up, challenging him.

He slapped her hand away, his free hand grabbing the front of her scruff and pinning her to the wall back-first, hearing her growled curse escape between her teeth; his lip curled as he glowered at her defiant stare, gold eyes burning. "As much as you know I can tell when you're _bluffing_, Mariko." He hissed, his voice almost sounding like a deadly purr.

Mariko held his stare heatedly, meeting his dominance with equally-determined resistance, hands fisted on the fabric of his shirt.

Zuko had a rough night of breaking into that damn fortress and now he came back to face an aggravating and defiant earth-bender that wouldn't budge, no matter what he did! She was so annoying, so damn infuriating… and damn it all, she was beautiful.

She expected him to spit out another snarky line or throw her out the door, but she didn't expect his lips to crush hers in a kiss. Eyes widening, she quickly recalled her defiance to the fore and started kissing back, fighting him for dominance and the sheer purpose of getting an answer out of him.

He grabbed her wrists and pulled them from his shirt, forcing himself away with a low growl caught in his throat, panting just as she was.

Mariko blushed brightly when realizing he had broken the kiss, panting slightly as she met his blazing gold eyes, trying to get a read on what was going through his mind. "Z-Zuko..."

Zuko noticed the screaming evidence that she had a look of confusion and arousal, innocence melting into her stare that searched his own for an answer; he looked away, disbelieving that he'd actually kissed her (and hard, too, given that her lips looked sort of bruised), closing his eyes, dropping her wrists.

Even though her lips tingled and she had the briefest image of kissing fire, she could tell he wasn't entirely sure on what he'd just done either, starting to shrink behind the awkwardness of being a teenage boy again.

She tentatively raised a hand to stroke his cheek, the cheek with the scar, watching his eyes crack open to see she had stroked his cheek, looking at her in further confusion. She cracked a soft, small smile, even though the blush in her cheeks deepened.

He slid his eyes closed again when she traced a finger along the lower edges of his scar, briefly wondering how she could still care even when he was shameful and banished, practically disowned by his own father. "Why did you follow me after my banishment?" He asked again, the same question he'd asked weeks ago, on a cold afternoon.

She smiled again, the blush calming. "Because I do care about you, even though you don't think I do." She answered quietly, leaning in to kiss his marred cheek, drawing back and slipping away to exit his room properly.

"Mariko." She glanced back with a raised brow; he smiled slightly, reminiscent of that day he'd given her a lotus as an apology. "Thank you for being there." He said in the same quiet tone.

She smiled a genuine smile, nodding, slipping out of his room and closing the door behind her leave.

* * *

**sorry for the short chaps lately, i intend for the next few chaps to have a bit more meat to them.. ^^; but anyway, thanks for the reviews guys! (: and to answer soulfert, a small spoiler: Book II is in the works. lol what, no applause? xD  
some feedback would mean the world to me, gents, so feel free to give some yeah? thanks, and until next chap, later.**


	8. Water VIII

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Water VIII**_

* * *

Talk about strange.

If she hadn't been prepared to draw her sword she would've looked at the strange beast in confusion; it looked like a mole even though it traveled fast in sunlight, so maybe it was a hunting mole..?

The woman hopped down from the giant mole's back to gather the stowaway that had been hiding in the cargo hold of the ship, and she felt an ounce of jealousy and admiration flare at seeing how pretty and dangerous she appeared.

She huffed, lowering the hand from her sword's hilt.

"So how did you know he was there?" The prince demanded, perking her ears.

The apparent bounty-hunter scoffed quietly at his question, "My shirshu can smell a rat from a continent away." She answered, hopping onto the beast's saddle and cracking a whip to urge it to gallop off the ship and onto the nearby jetty, dashing away.

"Well, I'm impressed." The general mused in a light and strange tone.

Mariko spat after her, turning away. "Come on, the tea is prolly cold." She ground out, striding back below deck.

Zuko followed her leave with a raised brow; was she jealous? He inwardly snorted, doubting she felt such a thing. Sure he admired the woman, briefly, but he didn't take an interest in her... Not like he had in Mariko.

* * *

"Why the hell did we come here?" She growled, following him alongside his uncle, arms folded tightly over her chest as she fought the reflex to keep a hand on her sword that was strapped to her back.

The raucous cheers seemed to grow in volume as they drew closer to the center of the pub, further irritating her already taxed nerves... At this rate she was starting to sympathize with Zuko's irritation towards the mundane.

"We need to talk with you." Said prince declared as he addressed the bounty hunter woman, coming to a halt short of her table.

The woman glanced up at the trio from in the middle of her arm-wrestling match, "Well look who's here, my new friends; Angry Prince, Lazy Uncle, and Sword Girl." She slammed the muscular man's hand down onto the table with a small bit of effort as coins were thrown onto the table.

"Your beast trashed my ship, you need to pay me for it." He snapped pointedly as she gathered the coins in her arms.

The huntress huffed, flashing a cocky look at him, "Sorry, but I seem to be a bit short on money." She hummed.

The earth-bender lifted a brow, her earlier strange-whirlwind of emotions towards the woman diminishing at seeing she had a backbone; she supposed it was from being in the Earth Kingdom.

Of course she still kept an eye on him; she wasn't being territorial or anything that childish, but she sure as hell wasn't born yesterday.

The christened shirshu sniffed the necklace he'd nicked from that damaged prison ship weeks ago to get a better scent on the water-tribe girl that was traveling with the Avatar.

"I'm surprised you kept that thing; quaint." She mused blandly, crossing her arms.

"Get on." The huntress declared as she let the giant mole take in the scent.

Mariko started to open her mouth and add something snarky before Zuko grabbed her waist and hoisted her onto the beast's back, earning a yelp, the huntress joining them when the animal got a good lead; she gritted her teeth and felt him cling to her waist when the shirshu bolted in the scent's direction.

::::::::x-x::::::::

The shirshu skidded to a halt at last, and she had to try not to claw into the damn saddle to keep from falling off. "So this is your girlfriend. No wonder she left; she's too pretty for you." The huntress named Jun huffed.

She looked over her shoulder as he released her waist and hopped down, taking in the water-tribe girl that didn't look to be much older than fourteen, and her brother that looked to be sixteen, her own age.

The girlfriend thing sort of stung but she ignored it, sending a brief scowl at the bounty hunter.

"Where is he; where's the Avatar?" He demanded.

The water-tribe boy scowled at him from having stepped in to shield his sister, "He's not here, we split up." He answered.  
His lip curled, "How _stupid_ do you think I am?" He spat.

He smirked cheekily. "Pretty stupid."

She sweatdropped; _bad call, dude_, she mentally chided, watching them make a run for it before the shirshu's tongue lashed out like a frog's and stunned them, both siblings becoming instantly paralyzed.

"Got any brighter ideas, I guess?" She wondered blandly of the prince.

He shot her a look to which she smiled serenely at, scowling, as the shirshu sniffed the ground again.

"It's seeking a different scent, something that the Avatar held." Jun informed as the pink nose of the giant mole-beast poked at the boy's bag and a scroll rolled out onto the ground.

"Another goose chase." Mariko muttered.

::::::::x-x::::::::

Well at least the battle ended on a nice scent.

She shook her head from having been observing the fight atop one of the four peaks of the courtyard, straightening. "I'm starting to wonder about these goose-chases." She mused, hopping down and landing nimbly on the opposite side of the courtyard where her companions were.

"Excuse me, but if you do not mind my asking, why didn't you partake in the battle as well?" She looked at the matronly face of what appeared to be the Sister Superior of the monastery, a curious look in her eyes.

She smiled sheepishly, shrugging. "Usually these encounters backfire on our part, so common sense dictates to keep out of a skirmish like this one unless force is needed." She explained, bowing politely before straightening. "Please forgive my fiancé for damaging your courtyard." She apologized.

The nun seemed slightly puzzled on the girl that clearly hailed from the Fire Nation, nodding as she stepped away to see if she could rouse her companions.

"So, how goes the **_lovely_** goose chase, _princeling?_" Normally she wouldn't goad him into annoyance, but seeing as he could barely move… What the hell?

Zuko glared up at the passive expression on her pretty face, grumbling. "Don't call me that. Can't you try and help me up?" He bit out.

Mariko tapped her chin with a finger, humming. "Why should I? It's fun to tease you, Zu. Especially because you can't do anything about it." She smirked cheekily at him, sticking her tongue out.

"I shoulda throttled you when I had the chance…" He growled.

She smiled playfully. "It's a wonder you scared the crap out of the poor nuns around here with that attitude." She pretended he didn't snort at her snarky rebuttal.

* * *

**yeah, i didn't cover much for the ****_Bato of the Water Tribe_**** ep, my apologies. /bows **


	9. Water IX

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Water IX**_

* * *

He grimaced slightly at the noise coming from the deck. "I'm surprised you aren't saying anything about the music." He said to her.

She shrugged, handing him a cup of the jasmine tea she'd brewed, taking a sip from her own cup. "Let him live a little, won't you? Besides, I like the Sunghi horn." She remarked calmly, plopping down across from him at the only table they had in the galley.

He pouted slightly, ignoring her cheeky smile, taking a generous sip. "You're such a pacifist." He muttered.

"Kinda have to be with you and your uncle; someone has to keep balance around here if your uncle is incapable because he's trying to keep you on a short leash." She defended patiently, shrugging.

"Who the hell said I was on a short leash!?" He snapped, scowling at her.

She exhaled, sipping again and slouching forward with her elbows on the tabletop. "The guys in the crew, everyone back home… There's a list somewhere around here, just not sure where I put it." She tapped her chin, looking to the ceiling thoughtfully.

Zuko growled a little in annoyance, cutting his gaze away. "Even if you're technically my girlfriend, you still irritate me by being a smart-ass." He bit out.

Mariko blinked when he said she was his girlfriend, blushing slightly; shrugging it off, she instead smirked teasingly. "Good, at least I'm doing something right by being here." She said jovially, taking another sip.

He caught the blush on her cheeks that stained them just a little, inwardly smiling, mirroring her. "You're still a strange girl, even for an earth-bender." He pointed out, attempting to undermine her footing.

She paused in finishing the cup of tea, quirking both thin brows. "Why's that, because I punch like a boy?" She drawled the last five words, taking the sip.

"Aside from that –and that hurt the last time you hit me, by the way—I mean you're not afraid to fight, even with me. And I'm pretty sure girls that are engaged to princes don't speak out of turn even if angered." He elaborated, seeing a scowl slowly forming on her brow.

Blushing again out of a combination of anger and embarrassment, possibly flustered, Mariko stood to get another cup with an unladylike snort. "That… What the hell did you expect when I came with you, you prat? That I was going to lick your boots like a whimpering puppy?" She poured the tea, turning to face him with narrowed amber eyes as he'd stood to refill his own cup, glaring. "I'm not like the girls I grew up with, and I sure as hell am not afraid of you, Zuko. I never was, even when we were kids." She stated proudly, poking his chest with a finger.

Zuko huffed, feeling a sense of admiration for the earth-bender's stubbornness, his free hand lifting to grasp hers and lower it to the side. "Like I expected you to be afraid? I know you're not like them, that's a reason I didn't understand a few years ago but I'm starting to understand now. Besides, you're too much of a stubborn smart-ass to conform to the 'etiquette' of Fire Nation girls." He smirked wryly down at her.

She glanced down at his hand holding hers and shook her head a little, smiling in the same manner. "Why Prince Zuko, I do believe that was a compliment." She teased, smirking coyly up at him.

He allowed a small chuckle at her sarcasm, finding she looked best in the amber glow of the fire, releasing her hand to lift up her chin.

Blushing just a little at realizing what he wanted to do, she slid her eyes closed partly, watching him lean down just close enough to land a kiss…

A knock sounded on the doorway of the kitchen, making both teenagers jump and part ways quickly, blushing a shade of scarlet at the intrusion.  
"Pardon the intrusion." She wanted to crawl under a rock and die at seeing it was Iroh who'd interrupted, looking away shyly.

"I'm not playing the stupid Sunghi horn." He declined, feeling just as embarrassed as she was, folding his arms at his chest after placing the cup down by the pot of tea.

"It's not that; there's been a change in our plans." Iroh informed, earning both sets of gold and amber eyes to look in his direction.

Zhao stepped in to stand alongside his superior, a snide smile on his face. "I'm taking your crew." He said, seeming content with ripping the carpet from under the prince's feet. "I'm recruiting them for a little expedition to the North Pole."

"_What!?_" Zuko balked, nearing him with renewed annoyance.

"General Iroh, is that true?" Mariko asked, looking to the wiser man.

"I'm afraid it is; he's taking everyone, even the cook!" Iroh grumbled the last bit with some lament.

Zhao scowled at the prince, "Sorry that you won't be there to capture the Avatar, but I can't have you getting in my way again." He didn't sound sorry.

"The only bastard who's in the way is **you**, Zhao! How dare you rip the one chance Zuko has to regain what he's lost out of his fingers?" Mariko growled, slightly surprising her friends at being the one to speak out; she fisted her hands at her sides and glowered coldly at the admiral.

"You would do well to watch your tongue, girl. I might add that I have yet to inform your parents that you are labelled a traitor, alongside this brat you chased after two years ago. If you want any hope of returning to the Fire Nation without being incarcerated on sight, you'll shut your mouth." Zhao snapped coldly, his brow furrowed in annoyance towards the outspoken girl.

She quieted reluctantly, hands shaking at her sides as she bit her tongue; she stormed out of the room and made sure her shoulder clipped his roughly as she went.

A traitor, was she? Well at least she was finally labelled one. She'd hidden her earth-bending ever since she was a child, making sure noone saw what she was capable of especially when learning she had been promised to the Fire Lord's son at seven years old, keeping it under wraps ever since…

Until Zuko actually meant something more to her than just a reason to run away from home.

She had taken her foster parents for granted, sure, and knew she would put them through hell as soon as she boarded the ship with a fourteen-year-old prince to hunt for the Avatar, but she still respected them.

They'd hidden her bending, protected her, made sure she attended the Fire Nation Academy for Girls and was put through the ringer of proper etiquette a nobleman's daughter was required to know before she was ever married off to the esteemed heir to the throne.

But it wasn't like she wasn't expecting this; she knew it was going to be rubbed into her face sooner or later, whether by an arrogant prick like Zhao or someone else higher up on the proverbial food chain.

Mariko knew it had been coming for two years.

A traitor and an earth-bender whose loyalty was to a banished prince. Yeah, that was her life… But she didn't mind it. She didn't mind it in the slightest.

::::::::x-x::::::::

Air hit the bottom of the sword's blade.  
Drawing her arm back sharply, she twisted about to slice at the rock post she'd made from her training ground, glaring at the sliced post.

'_I have yet to inform your parents that you are labelled a traitor alongside this brat you chased two years ago_…'

With a growl she summoned a pointed rock from the ground and thrust her fist out so it shattered the post with one hit, watching dust rise from the felled dummy.

"He just thinks he's so strong, threatening people and acting like a damn hog-monkey with a twenty-foot-pole up his ass…" She seethed quietly, flicking her wrist and flexing her knuckles.

"I thought I would find you here."

She jumped and turned to see she had an audience of one; her shoulders slumped in relief that it wasn't one of the soldiers, smiling at the general's gold eyes. "Sorry to have wandered off. How long were you standing there?" She asked, sheathing her katana and nearing the path he was rooted to.

Iroh smiled kindly at the earth-bender, "Long enough. Your skill with a blade is just as good as my nephew's." He replied, gesturing she walk with him.

Mariko blushed humbly, her hands sliding into the pockets of her pants. "I'm not that good; I only trained with a katana when I was ten, and even then it was on and off because my parents were trying to insist that I was a normal Fire Nation girl that didn't have any sort of bending power. Besides, Zuko is much more lethal with a blade than me." She admitted with a weak laugh.

"He was not too happy after Zhao threatened you… But then again, he always gets furious whenever you are threatened." He saw the blush turning her cheeks pink and smiled thoughtfully, looking forward as she continued to walk with him. "Zuko lets his temper get in the way but I know your influence is slowly changing him for the better. You have that effect on him, Mariko." He stated.

She looked up at the stars overhead, letting his words soak in; she smiled fondly at this latest news, exhaling. "I'm glad for that. Even with what Zhao said earlier, about my being labelled a traitor, I don't mind that, honestly. Just so long as I can be useful to Zuko, whether to support him or fight at his side, that's all that matters to me." She said quietly.

They continued walking in companionable silence until both friend seemed to get the nagging feeling that something was wrong.

"Let's go back," she urged, meeting his gold eyes and seeing he had the same uneasy look she held, before they turned to retreat to the jetty.

Once within sight of the ship a brilliant array of flames spouted up from the ship, smoke billowing out into the night.

"Zuko!" He exclaimed as she blanched slightly. "Mariko, come back!" He shouted after her as she bolted for the ship at top speed, following as fast as he could.

Her heart thundered in her ears and she fought the stream of racing thoughts that zoomed in her head like a whirlwind, praying she could run faster; she had to get to him, to see that he was alive… _Don't let him be dead. Don't let him be dead_…

"**_ZUKO_**_!_" She cried.

* * *

"Hold still!"

He fought a grimace at the sting the ointment had on his cut, locking his jaw and staying still as requested so she could put a bandage on it.

She drew back to put away the first-aid. "There, that's as best as I can do for now. We're going to have to let them heal on their own." She concluded quietly, looking down at the roll of bandages.

He scowled slightly at her. "You don't have to do this." He reminded.

"I know, but I want to." She answered, straightening to her feet from helping cover his cuts and bruises.

He grabbed her wrist as she was half-way standing, seeing her look at him in slight confusion. "I know you hate him, just as I do, but you can still sneak away… You don't have to stay for me." He knew she wouldn't see combat but the thought of putting her in harm's way still vexed him.

She felt his grip tighten on her wrist, looking away before sighing, kneeling infront of him, maneuvering her hand to be in his grasp instead of her forearm, holding his gold stare. "I'm not going to leave you, okay? Even if it gets dangerous, or something happens, I'm not leaving your side, Zuko." She smiled warmly, the warmth reaching her amber eyes.

Zuko studied her face for any sign of fear but strangely found none; he looked down, releasing her hand. "Why the hell do you have to be so reckless?" He demanded quietly.

Mariko smiled again, softly, leaning in to kiss him chastely, pulling back for fear of irritating his cut he had on his upper lip, chuckling when he looked up at her in surprise. "Living with you for the past few years seems to have taken a toll on my sanity, I suppose." She shrugged.

If it didn't bring him twinges of pain he would've kissed her as he had that morning in his cabin; but instead he smirked softly, gold eyes knowing. "You don't complain about it." He remarked with a slight chuckle.

* * *

**and yes, Zuko and Mariko's relationship is slowly budding. i think it's cute, dunno about you. though i just hope i'm doing the series right.. some critique maybe? any kind of feedback is loved at this point. thanks for the favs/follows so far. next chapter will focus on the ****_Siege of the North_**** episode(s) and will end the Book I season. until next chapter, later! (:**


	10. Water X

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Water X**_

* * *

She looked over the letter she'd written for the third time.

'_I'm sorry I couldn't obey your order. I said I would help him, and I meant it. Please forgive me and my insubordination. Thank you for your kindness_.'

Making sure the coast was clear she set out of the room and down the hall, making it to the lower front deck of the ship.

It was only a matter of time before she was within the destroyed walls of the Northern Water Tribe, slipping in with the shuffle of soldiers (she'd dressed for the occasion, wearing all black and keeping her sheathed katana covered by likewise black cloth) and on the trail of her reason for coming so far.

The cold winds of the mountaintop blizzard bit at the exposed skin of her face but she followed his footsteps into the howling winds, vainly praying she could find him and soon.

Pausing to take in her surroundings –aside from the billowing snow and wind that continued to nip at her face—she spotted a large dark figure in the distance; a cave, maybe?

Mustering her strength, she hurried in that direction, hoping that he was there.

* * *

"…I've always had to struggle and fight, and that's made me who I am."

"A reckless stubborn-as-hell prat?"

He looked at the entrance to the small cave to see she was there; somehow or another, she was there before his very eyes; he wanted to scold her for coming after him, he wanted to yell at her… But above all and strangely enough, he wanted to kiss her.

She peeled herself away from the entrance to step closer into the cave, smiling wryly at the balking expression on his face. "I know you're going to yell at me for coming after you, and I know what I did was completely reckless, but I wanted to make sure you were okay. What kind of person would I be if I didn't worry about someone I care about?" She explained, exhaling, her breath coming out in a soft fog.

At not hearing his 'prize' make a peep near him, a sign he was still in the Spirit World (or wherever he'd went in his out-of-body experience), he neared her and took note of the rosiness on her pale face, the elated expression brightening her eyes; so instead of yelling at or kissing her, he pulled her into a tight embrace, making her squeak.

"Z-Zuko… crap, you're freezing!" She mumbled, the coldness from his body combined with her own making her teeth chatter.

He blinked at hearing her teeth chatter, pulling away a little to release her and take her hands. "Sorry," he apologized, using his bending to help her warm up; she shivered beneath the layers of clothes, exhaling quietly. "I didn't think you were crazy enough to come all this way after me." He mused.

"Of course I was gonna come after you, you idiot; as far as I know, we're still engaged or something to that effect. Kind of a given to make sure you don't lose your head." She shivered slightly, looking up at his gold eyes with a pout line beginning to form on her lips.

He blinked at the pout forming and chuckled, seeing some color rise into her cheeks, turning them pink. "I'm glad you're not being a pain like normal, Mari." He squeezed her fingers out of habit.

She huffed, looking away into the further recesses of the cave, perking up at seeing the boy still dormant; her brow furrowed softly. "So that's him, then. The last air-bender." She guessed, seeing him glance back at his charge.

He followed her gaze and nodded, releasing her hands reluctantly. "Yeah, that's him. He hasn't woken up yet, though…" He mused, perking up when the boy inhaled in his sleep state.

She drew closer to better see him, noting he didn't look to be much older than twelve. She smiled a little; all this fuss for a twelve-year-old?

Was Fire Lord Ozai so cruel as to want to have him felled just like Fire Lord Sozin did to the rest of the Air Nomads?

The boy stirred, perking her ears; she widened her eyes a little as the tattoo on his head glowed white for a second before he opened his eyes.

Zuko grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her back out of something she assumed was protection, scowling at the awakened air-bender. "Welcome back." He bit out.

"Good to be back." The boy remarked before exhaling a blast of air, making the prince turn to shield his female counterpart and give him enough time to blast out of the cave backwards; he started inching away like a worm before being hoisted up by the prince who'd dashed out after him.

"Zuko," she began warily, looking to see the sky-bison zeroing in on them as it'd dropped lower to the ground, landing and letting the water-tribe girl hop off; she scowled slightly, perking up as the girl summoned a towering wave of ice and sent it screaming in Zuko's direction, slamming into him as it would've done the same to her had she not acted quick.

Mariko grunted and brought up a portion of the cave to shield herself in time, feeling the ground stop rumbling; she poked her head out from the shield to see the girl had knocked him unconscious. She hurried to his side, looking to see she had indeed knocked him out as he would probably remain that way for a few hours.

"We can't just leave them here." The air-bender was saying, perking her ears as she looked up to meet his cobalt eyes, holding his gaze briefly.

The water-tribe boy huffed, "Sure we can!"

He hopped off the bison, "if we leave them here, they'll freeze to death." He pointed out, seeing a slight alarm ignite in the girl's amber eyes. "If you promise you won't try anything, I'll help you get him out of here. Deal?" He flashed a kind smile at her.

She blinked once before nodding, smiling back. "I won't. Thank you for helping. My name's Mariko." She said, hoisting one of his arms over her shoulder as he helped and did the same for his free arm, both earth and air-bender cartering the unconscious prince to the bison's saddle.

"Aren't you an earth-bender? I saw you move part of the cave earlier." The air-bender asked once he was on board and she hopped onto the saddle with him.

She nodded, "Yeah, I am."

"If you're an earth-bender, why're you helping a scum-ball like Zuko?" The water-tribe boy demanded from the saddle as they took off.

Mariko scowled slightly at his insult, exhaling. "It's complicated, but in short, my foster parents raised me in the Fire Nation and I've hidden my bending since I was three." She answered patiently.

The water-tribe girl sent her brother a slight look, shaking her head a little. "You'll have to forgive my brother, he's kind of snarky towards people who're with the Fire Nation. You've obviously met Aang," she gestured to the air-bender who waved briefly between steering the bison. "I'm Katara, my brother's name is Sokka, and this is Princess Yue." She smiled politely.

She nodded and dipped her head briefly in respect to the tribe's princess, looking down at her charge and exhaling. "I'm sorry he's been giving you trouble in the past. If I went into detail about why he's doing it, it'd be a long story and apparently we don't have the time; Zhao has his eyes set on conquering the Northern Water Tribe." She looked from the water-tribe siblings to the princess with hardened amber eyes.

"Yeah, I know. The moon and ocean spirits are the ones who're going to help us defeat the Fire Nation. Appa, yip yip!" Aang added, urging the bison to go faster.

With a groan the flying beast seemed to speed up his pace.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"I'm surprised you aren't trying to capture the Avatar right now." Iroh glanced over at his nephew that seemed to be staring into space.  
Zuko shrugged a little, "I'm tired." He glanced to the side to see his uncle place a hand on his shoulder.

"Then you should get some rest; a man needs his rest." He smiled at him, seeing him smile a little in return.

Mariko smiled at them, glancing up at the flag on their makeshift raft, exhaling quietly and resting her back against the post, closing her eyes as if in meditation.

* * *

**Book II is being worked on as we speak, ladies and germs, so until next chapter, sit tight! thanks for the lovely reviews for Book I, they mean a lot to me. (:**


	11. Earth I

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth I**_

* * *

The hollow sound of air hitting the curved blade hummed.

She lunged at her invisible foe, sharply swinging the katana from the left into a quick and deadly slash, pretending she'd lopped off someone's head.  
Straightening, she huffed quietly and flicked her wrist, sheathing the katana with a soft 'clink'.

"Deadly strike."

She blinked and looked to see his familiar gold eyes had been watching; he tilted his chin up a little in approval.  
"Your moves are as fast and lethal as a fire-bender's." He mused.

She quieted and smiled wryly, trodding over to him. "How long were you watching?" She asked, walking alongside him, her hands sliding into the pockets of her pants.

He smiled a little, "Not long, but just in time to see you land a critical hit." He shrugged.

She nodded, staring ahead to the trail that led to the resort, brushing strands of her curly hair back. "Three years, I suppose it's been, hasn't it? Since that day." She caught the raised brow he sported, shrugging innocently. "I overheard your uncle mention it before I came out here to train." She added.

He nodded, looking forward as well, a crinkle forming on his brow. "Yeah, three years today."

_Three years of banishment, shame, desperation_…

Her tug on his wrist brought him out of his thoughts, gold meeting amber, a glimmer of worry shining in the latter's gaze.

He glanced away briefly, knowing he was the reason she was out here, the reason she'd forsaken her sheltered life to embrace adventure, the reason she was a traitor to their homeland.

She frowned softly, stroking his right cheek, guiding his eyes to meet hers, silently reminding him that it was okay, that she was still there to support him… that she still cared.

The prince held her hand to his cheek, squeezing absently.

The earth-bender smiled softly, amber eyes warm.

* * *

It wasn't the Fire Lord, but it was close enough.

"Hello Brother, Uncle." That familiar drawl hummed from the far table, as the trio turned their sights onto the tawny-eyed princess of the Fire Nation.

The prince glared coldly at his sister, "What're you doing here?" He bit out.

She scoffed quietly, "In my country, you exchange a pleasant 'hello' before asking questions." She reproached with a tinge of annoyance in her voice, straightening her posture, a crinkle appearing on her brow as she stood to address the members of her family. "Have you become so uncivilized so _soon_, Zuzu?" She cooed his petname he so loathed.

"Don't call me that!" He snapped.

"To what do we owe the honor?" Their uncle asked before the fur could fly, looking to his niece.

Azula huffed quietly, "Must be a family trait; the both of you are so quick to get to the point." The seashell in her hand shattered with a simple puncture from her nails, "I've come with a message from home; Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him; he's heard rumors that there's a plan to overthrow him, a treacherous plot. It appears family is the only ones you can trust… Father regrets your banishment, he wants you home." She said the last bit with a sad expression, glancing out the window.

Zuko looked out the window, seeming to soak in the news.

"Did you hear me? You should be excited, glad, _grateful!_ I've just given you great news." She asked with a tart undertone.

"I'm sure your brother needs a moment to…" Iroh began.

"_Don't interrupt, Uncle!_" Azula spat, standing alongside her big brother. "I still haven't heard my 'thank you'. I'm _not_ a messenger; I didn't have to come all this way, y'know."

"Father regrets? He wants me back…?" He repeated quietly.

She inwardly smirked at him taking the bait, "I can see you need time to think on this; I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening," she added politely, turning about to leave. "And it was nice seeing you again, Mariko." She added to the girl that had stayed silent throughout the whole conversation.

Mariko glared after her, huffing and folding her arms. "You're not seriously going to believe what she said, are you?" She asked once her old acquaintance was long gone, looking at him. "Zuko."

"Are you deaf? You heard what she said; I can go home." Zuko snapped quietly, refusing to look at her.

She snorted, "What if she tries to kill you before we reach the shore? What if there's an assassination coup waiting for us as soon as we enter the palace!? You're _not_ stupid, Zuko… I know you're not. Don't believe her; you never have in the past, so why start now?" She demanded annoyedly, refusing to believe that he was actually taking his sister's words to heart.

"**_You're_** the one who sounds stupid, Mariko! What kind of idiot would refuse an invitation to go back home after being banished for _three years!?_" He snarled, rounding sharply on her, glaring into her amber eyes.

Her eyes widened slightly before they sombered quickly, narrowing into sharp amber daggers. She looked away, pretending she didn't feel the slightest bit of hurt that he was doubting her, huffing. "Fine, go ahead and believe your lying bitch sister. I can't reason with your thick-skulled stubbornness no matter what I do, apparently. See if I care when she has your head ripped from your neck." She spat, leaving the room and clipping his shoulder as she went.

Once she was out of the hut she broke into a sprint and continued running.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"Hang on, wait for me!"

He turned fully to see her descending the stairs at a fast rate, her curls bouncing slightly with each step. He smiled slowly, elated she was coming. "Changed your mind?" He asked.

She brought herself to a halt next to him, a cocky light in her eyes; she huffed, punching his shoulder playfully. "You're not going anywhere without me. A feminine touch is always in dire need when it's just men, anyway. Right, Uncle?" She smirked at his uncle.

He smiled slowly, catching the glint of worry that shone in her amber eyes, nodding. "Exactly."

The three continued their descent to the jetty where the elaborate ship greeted them, an entourage included, with the princess at the head, a feigned warm smile on her face.

"Brother, Uncle, Sister-in-law, welcome." Azula greeted lightly before the aforementioned trio bowed politely. "I'm so glad you decided to come!"

_Even if we hadn't, you'd have hunted us down anyway_, Mariko thought grimly, keeping her eyes at the ramp from the ship, finding it interesting.

"Are we ready to depart, Princess?" The captain asked.

"Set our course for home, Captain." She gestured they come up the ramp.

She glanced at him as he sighed out the word 'home'; she crossed her arms at her chest.

"You heard the Princess! Raise the anchors; we're taking the prisoners home!" He exclaimed, the last word dying in his throat as he looked up in horror at the tawny stare of the princess.

"Called it." She whispered under her breath, ducking low when a blast of fire screamed at her head and was blocked by Iroh's own blast; she lunged at the captain and rammed a foot into his back, sending him to drop into the waters.

"_You lied to me!_" Zuko snarled at his sister.

Azula snorted, "Like I've never done _that_ before!" She gestured for the two guards on either side attack him.

Twin bouts of flames screamed forward before two boulders their size collided with the two men, sending them flying to be thrown overboard.

She turned about in slight surprise at the earth-bending, raising a thin brow.

"Mari, duck," he ordered sharply, shoving her out of the way as he launched himself at his sister, extended fists sending bouts of fire at her.

She growled slightly and huffed, watching the two siblings duke it out, hopping out of the way of another blast of fire from one of the soldiers that had turned his attention to her; she smirked grimly, already in a stance, criss-crossing her wrists sharply, summoning a large boulder to knock the soldier into the water with a loud splash. Turning slightly to the fight she perked up to see Azula had Zuko on the defense, sending him reeling back from a blast of blue fire she exhumed.

A growl came from the side as a blur of black launched themselves at the princess, feet skidding to a halt short of hitting the rail, interrupting the fight.

Azula sneered coldly. "Well now, I had always wondered about what you were keeping so well hidden when we were children, Mariko… And now I know." She drawled.

Mariko huffed, lowering the katana in hand to below the hip, amber eyes mutinous. "You know, now that the cat's out of the bag… I always detested you, Azula." She flew forward, sharply swinging the blade from the left, landing a critical hit were it not for the nimble footing of her enemy.

A blast of blue fire screamed at her from the girl's left sole, and she would've dodged were it not for the burst of orange flames that blocked it in time, surprising both girls.

"Zuko…" She breathed in slight awe.

Landing nimbly, the princess scoffed, her lip curling. "I had a feeling this was coming. How cute, you're willing to put your life on the line to protect hers; that's **so** adorable, Zuzu. It makes no difference to me, really: traitors defend traitors, and the fact that my disgraceful brother has fallen for a pitiful earth-bending orphan doesn't surprise me in the slightest!" She sent a jolt of electricity screaming at them both.

Before the bolt could fly, Iroh appeared, grabbing her extended hand and redirecting the lightning to collide with the cliff face of the shore, knocking his niece overboard.

Mariko sheathed her sword, grabbing the prince's hand and hurrying after his uncle as they sprinted as fast as possible away from the jetty.

::::::::x-x::::::::

The trio came to a halt at the side of the river once they'd covered enough space away from the resort and jetty.

"I think we're safe here." The oldest of the trio mused once they'd caught their breath.

His nephew wordlessly drew the knife he'd kept as a memento of sorts, raising it to cut off his ponytail, handing it to his uncle who cut off his top-knot. "You don't have to cut your hair as well; you said so yourself, you never swore allegiance to the Fire Nation." He pointed out quietly as she drew her katana.

She exhaled and gathered the messy ponytail she'd pulled her hair into, severing it at the base and catching the hairtie that fell with the curly strands, dropping the clump of black hair into the water. "Noone will think twice if I cut my hair as well; besides, I could probably pass for a boy now." She smiled faintly, sheathing the sword and clasping his hand, squeezing briefly.

He held her determined amber stare and exhaled, nodding; he half-wished she hadn't cut her hair… It was the only thing about her that was different when it came to her looks.

But this was for the best.

* * *

**and Book II begins now!**

thanks for the lovely feedback and support, i can't thank you guys enough, srsly. i kinda hope i did some justice to Azula in this chapter; i never really liked her personality, to be honest, but the fact that she's dangerous and fierce leaves me at ends with whether to hate or like her.. so hard to choose lol and yes some tender moment(s) between Zu and Mari... aren't they cute? = 3=


	12. Earth II

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth II**_

* * *

"Delectable tea? Or deadly poison…?" He pondered.

She tilted her head and examined the flower. "It looks dangerous either way, Uncle." She sighed and smiled slightly, trodding after the prince to go help him gather something to eat. "Oi, wait up." She declared once she caught up to him.

He made a face, still trying to get accustomed to seeing her hair nothing more than a curly black bob. "Shouldn't you have stayed back to help Uncle with the tea?" He asked blandly, slowing his pace so she could walk with him.

She shook her head, folding her arms behind her head leisurely, "He's grown and wise enough to choose if it's lethal or not. Besides, I wanted to take a stab at catching fish." She shrugged.

He snorted, "Since when did you start acting like more of a boy than you used to?" He asked, slightly disbelieving.

She sniffed, tilting her chin up stubbornly (as she was wont to do half the time, he had noticed). "What, you don't believe me? I'll show you I can catch a damn fish. Now come on!" She declared, storming ahead of him to the nearest creek.

For some reason he had found it was amusing to watch her get huffy; of course he found himself staring at her backside from time to time, whenever he didn't think his uncle had noticed.

She had toned down being annoying, at least by a degree, which was a relief on his conscious; some days he half-wondered if it was out of sympathy, or whether she had calmed simply because she really did care about his emotional and physical well-being.

No, she couldn't pass very well for a boy… not with those hips.

A glint of silver escaped the inner folds of her tunic's collar as she pulled out a dagger, nearing the bank of the creek, watching the fish swim by with a calculating eye.

Zuko stood back to watch, a slight smirk on his lips, watching as she crouched when she seemed to catch sight of one particular fish.

With a grunt she stabbed the blade into the gut of a particularly fat fish, swiftly pulling the stabbed fish out of the water and tossing it ashore as it landed on the ground mere inches from his feet.

"Okay, let's see **you** nab one, Mr. Tough Guy." Mariko huffed as she stood to grin cheekily at him, giggling quietly when his smirk had fallen to be replaced with a pout.

He huffed and snatched her dagger from her hand, storming past her to go catch one for himself.

She flopped down on the shore and sighed, flexing her toes as she took off her boots.

It wasn't long before he nabbed one –or rather, tried; the fish bounced up in the air and he failed to grab it before the fish dropped down and seemed to swim as fast as possible downstream.

Mariko covered her mouth daintily to hide a snicker, hearing him grumble a curse irritably as he dove back to get another fish. "Patience, princeling." She sang sweetly.

"Shut it," Zuko growled over his shoulder, pretending she didn't laugh, finding another fish and giving a sort of battle cry as he stabbed the dagger into the fish's gut, tossing it over his shoulder onto the shore next to hers.

She tilted her head to the side and looked at the two fish before busting out laughing.

"What's so funny!?" He barked, looking down at the caught fish and feeling his right brow twitch in annoyance.

... Her fish was bigger than his was.

* * *

A vein twitched on her brow.

"You three must not be from around here, I'd imagine?" The girl wondered, looking to him as she was treating his uncle, occasionally smacking his hand away when he tried to scratch the dark pink rash on his skin.

She scowled slightly in one direction.

"Yes, we're travelers! I… I'm Lee, and my uncle's name is Mushi…" He ignored the look from his uncle, "And my… er, cousin, is Jun."

She ribbed him sharply when the girl turned away to tend to his uncle, shooting him a glare, cutting her gaze away to the doorway of the room.

"Wow, you must have traveled far. If you don't mind my asking, have you had a home-cooked meal lately?" The girl asked, her eyes on his hooded gold ones.

'Jun' sniffed. "We appreciate the offer, but we've got somewhere to be." She said, doing her best to keep the catty tone in her voice low key.

She frowned slightly, sympathetic, "Oh, that's a shame; my mom always cooks too much roast duck." She mused with a shrug.

"Whereabouts do you live, exactly?" Their uncle piped up.

Both teenagers sent him a penetrating look.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"Thank you again for the meal." Their uncle said as they were about to depart, both he and his 'daughter' bowing politely to the mother and daughter that had fed them dinner.

The mother smiled, "I've never seen anyone eat my roast duck with such… gusto." She chuckled politely.

"Years of practice," the general chuckled, rubbing his belly for emphasis.

His 'daughter' rolled her eyes and smiled, glancing at the quietest of their trio, "Oi, where're your manners, Lee?" She said patiently, raising a thin brow.

He paused short of nearing the gate and turned to bow slightly (he knew she'd probably brain him if he didn't… sometimes she was a stickler for manners, sometimes she wasn't. So weird.), "Thank you."

She smiled sheepishly at their hosts, turning to traipse to his side.

"I know you think that there's no hope, but there is! Haven't you heard the news; the Avatar is returned." The girl, the same one who'd cared for his uncle mere hours ago, said, her words meant for the prince.

He scowled slightly at the darkness, "I know."

"Thank you again," 'Jun' smiled warmly back at them, turning forward and exhaling. "Come on, Uncle." She beckoned lightly, not looking back.  
He looked up once the mother and daughter had returned inside their house, nearing the quiet bird-steed.

"What're you doing?" She hissed as he took the reins of the beast and hopped onto its back.

The prince exhaled, "Do you trust me or not?" He asked flatly, looking down at her.

Amber eyes blinked once before blush stained her cheeks pink; the earth-bender huffed, looking away. "Of course I do." She mumbled, looking up again to see he offered a hand; she quieted and took his hand, climbing onto the saddle to sit infront of him.

His uncle shook his head, "I can't believe this; these people have already shown us so much kindness…" He scolded.

"And they're going to show us more kindness. Come on." He urged, extending his hand (the one that wasn't holding onto the reins).

Briefly hesitating, he climbed on with his nephew's help.

* * *

**not much to put here, atm, just hope for more reviews (: later!**


	13. Earth III

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth III**_

* * *

"Gone shopping?"

He jumped slightly and dropped the gold tea set to draw his broadsword were it not for the familiar amber eyes that looked at him expectantly. He calmed when realizing it was only her, scowling. "How long were you standing there?" He demanded.

She didn't waver from the suspicious expression, feet planted on the ground, arms folded. "Not long." She moved to shuffle past him and reach into the hole in the tree where he'd hidden it.

His gold eyes sharpened, "H-hey don't… What're you doing?" He demanded annoyedly as she withdrew the mask he'd been hiding, the mask of the Blue Spirit. "Put that back."

She examined it and then exhaled, looking up at him. "This explains a lot, actually. Zuko, why didn't you tell me?" She didn't look angry or annoyed, instead she looked slightly disappointed.

"Because noone was supposed to know! Now put it back, Mariko." He snapped, giving her a look.

She looked down at the mask and traced a finger over the pale blue carving around the right eyehole, putting it back in the hole in the tree. "How long have you been stealing?" She asked quietly, straightening to gather the tea set from him and help him carry it.

"Just a few days. Look, don't tell Uncle, okay? It's bad enough that you know about it." Zuko set her with a sharp look.

Mariko sighed, nodding. "Do you trust me or not?" She asked bluntly, reminding him of that night they'd stolen the bird-steed.

He looked surprised for the briefest second before huffing. "Of course I trust you." He answered, mystified with why she asked that of him.  
She smiled, her face softening. "Good." She leaned up to kiss him softly.

He blinked once before remembering the night Zhao had tried to assassinate him, the almost-kiss… He was kissing back, feeling her smile again through the kiss as she let him pull the tea set out of the way, her arms holding onto his neck as his found her back, breaking the kiss reluctantly when she stroked his cheek, her fingers tracing his scar gingerly. He slid his eyes closed, smirking thoughtfully. "You're so weird." He muttered.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled, releasing his cheek and meeting his gold eyes with a cheeky look. "Shut up." She chided, stepping away to gather the tea set, straightening and blinking when feeling his hand stroke her hair; she blushed, looking away briefly. "Guess it does look like a boy's hair, doesn't it?" She joked.

He smirked again, releasing a particular lock of black hair, watching it curl instantly like a spring. "Beats having it shaved off." He remarked.

Mariko giggled quietly, smirking back. "Come on, master thief." She sighed, stepping away to start back to the cave they'd taken shelter in.

Zuko smiled wryly at her, once again noting the curve in her hips, following at her heels.

* * *

"We have nothing to gain by traveling together; I'm going off on my own."

She looked up alertly from polishing her sword, eyes sharp; sheathing the sword quickly, she hopped up to see him walking away. "Zuko, wait." She began to follow him.

"I'm not making you come with me, Mari; you don't have to follow me. Besides, this is something I feel I have to do." He quieted her, not looking back at the penetrating amber eyes that bore holes into the back of his head.

"Then I'm going with you anyway." She stated stubbornly, feeling slightly torn between him and his uncle, between her friends. "I told you that I wouldn't leave, and I meant every damn word." She added on a quieter note.

His uncle exhaled, seeming to feel like he was losing both a son and daughter, knowing she would follow him solely for the reason that she cared too much to let him be out there alone. "Then you will need this," he neared her side to deposit a pouch of some of the gold coins he'd nicked the other day, surprising the girl; he smiled at her slightly widened amber eyes. "I will be fine, Mariko." He assured gently.

She nodded slowly, taking the pouch before embracing him, pulling back to smile weakly, fighting the mistiness growing in strength in her eyes. "Thank you, Uncle." She bowed slightly, turning to follow him, shrugging her katana's strap over her shoulders.

He was staring forward at the open road, pretending he hadn't heard the touching farewell, looking down when she took his hand, seeing her amber eyes were misty; his fingers squeezed hers reflexively before they both began walking.

"Wait," the unofficial couple turned slightly to see he was leading the bird-steed to them.

Zuko took the reins and let her hop on first before he did the same, steering the beast to take off down the path.

Mariko glanced back at where they'd left his uncle and inwardly sighed, resting her cheek against his back and holding onto his waist.

* * *

**short, chapter was short. sorry! /bows just think of it as a prologue for the next chapter. and on that subject, the next chap is more lengthy (i want to assume anyway, it took up an estimated five pages in Word..) so i'm gonna be generous and submit that one as well. feel free to throw some reviews~. (:**


	14. Earth IV

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth IV**_

* * *

He swerved out of the way of an oncoming boulder, lunging at her and unleashing a few bouts of fire from his fists.

Digging her right heel into the earth and criss-crossing her wrists sharply, she formed a diamond-shaped pyramid to block his fire, exhaling in slight relief.

They'd been traveling for what felt like months but in retrospect it had only been a week or so, still in search of the Avatar; she was letting him lead, knowing it was his idea to go off on his own in the first place.

The prince exhaled, inhaling and snarling as he aimed both fists at her shield, sending a combined torrent of orange flames screaming at the rock that she hid behind.

At feeling the oncoming heat, she ducked down into a quickly-made rabbit hole, letting the flames shatter the shield (she hadn't built it to last much longer than a few minutes, anyway).

He looked about when seeing she'd disappeared, keeping his body poised in an attack stance, waiting for her to strike.

And suddenly he was sent flying high into the air from a fist formed out of the rock beneath his feet, looking down in slight bewilderment to see her standing on the ground beneath him with a cheeky grin; he scowled, twisting his body to land on his feet, sending a jet of flames screaming down at her as gravity took him and sent him down.

Flicking her wrist she formed a large round shield made of rock, blocking his downward jet of fire, yelping when he landed on the shield and broke it, sending them both to tumble to the ground.

Panting, the earth-bender groaned and let her head droop onto the solid earth, hearing him grumble curses as he slowly rose to hover over her; she blinked at seeing he was panting as well, gold meeting amber.

Mariko breathed out a laugh, grinning tiredly at him, not minding that he'd landed ontop of her and briefly pretending he hadn't. "That was fun." She admitted, letting him get off when he'd noticed where he'd landed, sitting forward and uttering a groan as her muscles ached from the drop.

Zuko couldn't fight the smile at seeing her look happy, briefly envying her for feeling so light, rubbing his shoulder absently. "I won this round." He noted, recalling the spar they'd had months ago on the ship.

She blinked and paused in shaking the dirt out of her hair, looking at him with a pout forming on her lips. "Oh you rub it in now? Geez, cut me some slack! You freaking landed on me face-first, Zu!" She whined, slugging him in the shoulder.

"Ow! Hey, at least I didn't act snarky about it, Mari." He remarked, rubbing his bruised shoulder gingerly.

Mariko pouted, exhaling and blowing air up to lightly play with her bangs, crossing her arms as she sat there, reminiscent of a stubborn child. "You weren't fast enough that time, so of course I won." She groused.

Zuko raised one brow at the sight before he smirked smugly, chuckling. "Since when are you a sore winner?" He jibed, crossing his arms.

"Since you started acting like a prat a few minutes ago, princeling." She sniffed, looking away in feigned hurt.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "**You're** the one acting like a brat," he pointed out.

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Bite me."

"… Brat."

"Prat."

They stopped in throwing barbs to look each other in the eye for one long second before she broke the staring contest first to giggle; he blinked and then started chuckling, soon they both were laughing as if they were children again without a care in the world, no Avatar to chase, no Azula hunting them down…

Peace.

Zuko smiled softly as she slowly stopped giggling, raising a hand to run his fingers through her curly mop of hair, seeing her blink and then look into his gold eyes, amber eyes innocent; his fingers traced along her jawline, his thumb stroking her cheek gently.

"Zuko," Mariko murmured, closing her eyes and slumping her shoulders, resting her cheek in his hand's palm.

He wasn't bad like everyone thought he was; he was still the sweet boy he had been so long ago... That was all that mattered to her.

::::::::x-x::::::::

An egg went sailing at the back of one of the soldier's heads, splattering yolk and egg white in his hair.

She raised one brow at the two boys that had done it, watching them scamper off as the man swore, jumping up to face them as they were waiting for the food and water, all four of the men storming closer.

"Hey! You two throwing eggs?" The leader, a bulky earth-bender that looked like he had a mean streak, demanded, glaring from the taller boy to the shorter one.

"No." The taller one grumbled.

His green eyes narrowed. "You see the one who did? Maybe it was your little friend?" He drawled, green eyes settling on the amber eyes of the shorter 'boy'.

She slid her eyes closed serenely. "It'd be a wasted effort, trying to pull a prank on you lot." She answered in a calm voice.

"Well what d'ya know; it's a cheeky little bird." One of the other soldiers huffed, recognizing that she was a girl.

He tensed at her side as the leader sneered, eyeing her up and down. "What's a lovely bird like you doing in this place? Traveling with your brother?" He chuckled, standing his full height.

She cracked open an amber eye, her mouth a thin line. "My boyfriend. We're traveling to go see his ailing grandfather in Omashu. So if you kind gentlemen will go back to protecting our fine Earth Kingdom nation, we'll be off." She snatched the two water canteens from the table, dropping a few gold coins for the vender as he grabbed the feed bags. "Come along, Lee." She hummed, taking his hand and leading him to the bird.

Once they were far away enough, both teenagers gave a relieved sigh.

"I thought they were gonna follow us." She muttered, patting the bird's neck gently.

He stopped the steed to feed him, looking at her with something like admiration and pride in his gaze. "You and me both; should I be concerned that you can lie so easily?" He wondered, smirking.

Mariko huffed, smirking back, pushing his canteen into his hands, her eyes coy. "Dunno, should I be concerned that you were posing as the Blue Spirit to steal from people?" She drawled.

Zuko chuckled, stealing a kiss and then ruffling her hair. "I didn't hear you complain much." He said cheekily.

She blushed slightly at the kiss, pouting and smacking his chest, smirking despite the flustered feeling. "Piss off." She turned to rest against the bird and take a sip of water, sighing.

He smiled lightly when she shot him a look, ignoring the unladylike snort she uttered.

Something tugged on her sleeve from the side; she blinked and looked to see one of the scrawny kids from earlier (the one who'd chucked that damn egg) standing there. "Hi."

She smiled kindly, "Um, can I help you?"

"I just wanted to thank you for not ratting me out to the soldiers; both of you, actually." The boy smiled lightly, a baby tooth missing in his smile.

He deadpanned at the sight, pulling the feed bag away from the ostrich-horse. "Don't mention it; come on, Jun, we need to get going." He declared, hopping onto the beast's back and helping her up.

"Hang on, at least let me take care of your ostrich-horse; you two look like you're hungry anyway." The boy piped up as he stopped the bird from taking off, earning two looks from the teenagers.

The prince and earth-bender shared a look before complying, following the boy to where he lived.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"Thank you again for your hospitality…"

Dust flew up in the air as the same soldiers from before were coming up to the pig farm.  
The boy's father scowled slightly as he stepped forward to welcome the oncoming men (or thugs, as they'd appeared in town), "What you think they want?" He wondered.

"Trouble." The prince muttered as the earth-bender nodded slightly.

The pack skidded to a halt, blowing up dust in the air again; "What do you want, Gao?" The father asked dryly.

"Just wanted to tell you that your son's battalion got captured." The christened Gao answered snidely, gauging the shocked expressions on the family's faces, and the stoic expressions on the two strangers, "You boys heard what the Fire Nation did to the last Earth Kingdom battalion they captured?" He drawled, looking to his right.

The soldier huffed, "They dressed them up in Fire Nation uniforms and put them on the frontlines unarmed, is how I heard it."

The earth-bender glared coldly at the apparent-thug of an earth-bender, her lip curling as the boy's father said, "You watch your mouth."

Gao steered his ostrich-horse closer before Zuko's steed intervened; gold and green clashed coldly. "Why bother rooting around in the mud with these pigs?" He sneered, turning about to lead the pack back to town, kicking up dust in their wake.

Mariko spat after them, snorting; she looked at the boy's mother and felt a pang in her chest, imagining that was how her foster mother probably looked the day she'd left. She hopped down to place a gentle hand on her shoulder, meeting her green gaze and smiling sympathetically. "I'm sure he was just bluffing; your son is still alive, please believe that. If anything, strong earth-benders never back down." She assured, the sympathetic smile turning kind when tears formed in her eyes.

Otherwise she wouldn't still be standing.

"What's gonna happen?" The boy Lee asked of his parents as his father came to comfort his wife.

"Everything's going to be fine; I'm going to the front to find your brother." His father answered calmly, steering his mother inside as she wept quietly.

The girl stared after them with a frown on her face before she turned to hop onto the steed.

The boy neared them as they prepared to leave, "When my dad goes, will you stay with us?" He asked, looking to the prince.

"No, we need to be moving on." He answered, pulling the pearl dagger he'd kept out and handing it to him. "Here, I want you to have this. Read the inscription." He declared.

The boy drew the blade to examine the writing, "'Made in Earth Kingdom'."  
"The other side."

"'Never give up without a fight'."

The ostrich-horse gave a chirping noise as they took off down the path.

* * *

She looked over at him as he seemed lost in his own thoughts, exhaling and grabbing his water, nearing him to sit down at his side and offer the container. "Zuko."

He looked to his left to see her offer and he took it, sitting up a little to take a sip.

She held onto her knees, looking up at the clear blue sky. "My foster mother never really told me about what happened to your mom; whenever I'd ask about it after you and I would hang out, she never gave a straight answer. It was a shame, because I always looked up to Lady Ursa." She smiled softly, hugging her knees. "She was kind and warm, a lot like how I hoped my real mother had been… I suppose we had more in common than I thought, huh?" She mused wryly, looking at him, knowing the subject of his mother was touchy, but even so, she was telling the truth in saying that she'd admired the former Lady of the Fire Nation.

As he made to answer, the sound of an approaching ostrich-horse interrupted; both of them looked to see the boy's mother coming forward.

She tugged on the reins to halt the steed, "You've got to help! The thugs from town came back as soon as Gonzu left, and when they asked for food, Lee pulled a knife on them! I don't even know where he got a knife! T-then they took him away. They said if he's old enough to fight, then h-he's old enough to join the army…" She covered her face with her hands, starting to weep again. "I know we barely know you, but…" She looked up when feeling a gentle hand on her shoulder, meeting the girl's softened amber eyes again.

"I'll get your son back." He declared solemnly, meeting her surprised gaze.

She nodded. "We both will." She smiled firmly at the woman.

She nodded back, sniffing, "Thank you."

::::::::x-x::::::::

"Are you really gonna let him talk to you like this?" The leader huffed, looking to the man nearest him that was holding a spear.  
He snorted, advancing on the prince.

A large boulder sailed at the oncoming man, sending him flying.

"He's got a point, regrettably… you boys are supposed to be playing soldier, right?" She relaxed her stance a smidge, curling her fingers upward on her right hand, her left hand flat and lowered diagonally. "Don't make me laugh." She flicked her left wrist, summoning twin boulders to hover on either side of her as the remaining three soldiers flew at her; with a grunt she crossed her arms, sending the boulders to crash into two of the three as the prince flew forward at her cue, lunging at Gao.

The third soldier gave a battle cry as he launched himself at the girl.

A large fist made of rock sailed into him from below, sending him skyrocketing high into the air.

She blew dust from her fingers, watching him descend at a fast rate and then lightly stomping her heel into the ground; the soldier was sent flying forward to crash into the vender's stand when a fissure of rock rose up to break his fall (hard).

A muffled 'thud' sounded; she looked over to see a rift of rocks had risen to hit the prince and knock him on his back. "Bastard!" She snarled, lunging and then narrowly dodging a sharp rock as it grazed her left cheek, skidding into the ground, getting in a stance; she glared at the soldier and summoned a boulder, sending it flying at him, watching it shatter when his hammer connected with the opposing side.

"Nice try, you little bitch." Gao slammed his hammers down, sending bout after bout of rocks at her.

Just as she'd done in the spar the other day, she crossed her wrists over the other sharply and formed a diamond-shaped shield to evade the rocks.

"You can't hide forever, birdie! Come on out and fight!" He jeered from the outside.

A blast of orange fire screamed at him, sending him skidding back.

She lowered one side of it to look at him in surprise, watching the flames die slowly around him. "Zuko."

In an angered flurry, he sent another torrent of fire at Gao, sending him to crash back-first into a wall, rocks caging him in.  
"W-who are you…?" The man asked wearily from the rubble.

She lowered the shield altogether, nearing the boy that had been tied up and undoing the ropes with her dagger.

"My name is Zuko, son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai. Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne." He answered boldly, sheathing his broadswords.

She looked at the shock and slow realization coming to light on the boy's face and lowered her gaze, straightening.

"Liar, I heard about you! You're not a prince, you're an outcast! His own father burned and disowned him!" One of the men of the village cried from the sidelines.

"He's telling the truth!" Mariko stated loudly, looking in his direction, her amber eyes stubborn and somber at the same time. "You lot should be grateful he put these bastards in their place." She added bitterly, watching said prince take the knife the defeated Gao had stolen, coming to the boy to give it back to him.

His mother came forward to shield the boy, glaring from the prince to the earth-bender girl. "Not a step closer." She declared.

He kneeled to offer the knife to the boy. "Here, it's yours."

"No, I hate you!" The boy snapped, turning to leave with his mother.

She stared after their leave, quieting and stowing her dagger back into the folds of her tunic; she extended a hand to him. "Come on." She urged softly.  
He stared at where the boy had been momentarily before complying, taking her hand and standing.

"H-hey wait a minute! You're an earth-bender; why the hell're you helping him?" The same old man from before demanded when they were to climb back onto the ostrich-horse.

Zuko saw the hardness glint in her amber eyes and waited for her.

Mariko smiled sadly at the people. "Because he's all I have." She answered, turning away to hop onto the beast's back.  
The dying afternoon was silent as they left the small town.

* * *

**well, did you guys like it? hate it? feedback is loved, keep that in mind. until next chap, later! (:**


	15. Earth V

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth V**_

* * *

She frowned after the tire tracks, holding onto him despite her slight apprehension.

Part of her wanted to fight Azula, but another part of her was cautious about fighting her; she knew Azula was a fire-bending prodigy, so said her father, and she was like a deadly lightning bolt in and of herself.  
But still…

Her brow furrowed determinedly.

No, she would fight. She had to.

"I doubt she's found him yet; the tracks have been running since last night." She noted aloud.

He nodded, his brow tightening in a scowl, "She's trying to wear him out; if they've been chasing the bison since the night before then the Avatar is running on no sleep. Easier to take down."

She huffed. "Typical Azula. Maybe I should've conked her with a boulder last time we met; it would've left her with amnesia." She mused bitingly.

He scoffed quietly. "It would've been easier."

::::::::x-x::::::::

"Bison fur?" He glanced at the trail of white fur leading further into the desert.

She looked down at it, furrowing her brow. "It's Appa's fur. But it looks like he just led her off on his own; the others aren't with him. C'mon, go faster, Ping!" She declared to the ostrich-horse.

He raised both brows, looking at her. "You named the ostrich-horse 'Ping'?"

She shrugged innocently, smiling. "I thought it fit well! Besides, I never had pets."  
He rolled his eyes, continuing on into the wasteland.

* * *

The blue flames would've hit him were it not for the arced shield of rock that rose up.

"Picking a fight with the boy that hasn't mastered fire-bending is a low move, even for you, Azula." She lowered the shield with a flick of her left big toe, standing defensively infront of the air-bender.

"Mariko!" The boy beamed; she glanced back at him and smiled.

Azula sent another bout of flames at the girl, being blocked by another shield, zipping forward. "Traitor and befriending the Avatar? There really seems to be no low point for you, Mariko." She swung her right foot out, another blast of blue fire screaming at her.

Mariko summoned another shield, slamming her right fist into the ground; the mirror image of a larger fist sailed up at the princess's footing, before said target hopped down and sent bout after bout at the girl.

"Aang, get going!" She ordered, katana flying from the scabbard as she dodged at the last second and the boy did the same, lunging at the princess with a snarl, swinging from the left sharply.

She dodged the blows with ease, sending her left fist sailing at her with flames encasing her hand; a blast of orange flames screamed at her from the side, sending her flying.

She nodded to him, smirking, ducking as a jet of blue fire screamed in her direction, perking up as he flew after the boy. "Damn it, Zuko." A foot crashed into her head, sending her flying to crash into a demolished building.

Her head spun as she began to see stars; she grimaced, feeling something warm dripping down her right temple, gingerly sitting up on her left side, the stars fading as she opened her eyes stiffly, hearing blasts of fire and air going off nearby.

"Azula," she grumbled, shakily getting to her feet and lifting a hand to rub her right temple, ignoring the blood, growling a little as she hurried to help Zuko.

Blasts of fire and water were in view as she neared the scene, noting the water-tribe siblings plus air-bender were attacking the princess; she huffed, inhaling deeply, sending a rift of rock to sail at the girl, breaking her footing, leaving a gap for her to make a critical shot.

With a grunt she slammed both fists onto the ground, sending a high-rising fist of rock to knock the princess high into the air.

A jet of electricity screamed at her; she blocked it with another shield, removing it just as a streak of water punted the girl's hand out of alignment of her next shot; blue and amber held for a second before she nodded to the younger girl, both of them ducking as a jet of blue fire sailed at where their heads had been.

Azula darted off and prepared to fire at them again were it not for the second rift of rocks to break her foothold.

Mariko glanced to see a black-haired girl donning green enter the fore; another earth-bender? She grinned, perking up as the princess hurried off.

Soon she was outnumbered, backed into a corner like a rat. "Well look at this; enemies and traitors all come together. I'm done; I know when I'm beaten, you caught me. A princess surrenders with honor." She admitted defeat, raising her arms in surrender.

Iroh and Mariko shared a brief look as Zuko, Aang, Toph, Katara and Sokka kept themselves ready to strike.

Azula smirked, twisting her stance to send a jet of blue fire screaming at her uncle.

"**NO**!" Mariko shouted before all six teenagers sent a combined blast of fire, water, air and earth screaming at the princess, creating an explosion that should've killed her.

_Of course it didn't._

Both Zuko and Mariko rushed to his side, the former angered with not only himself but his sister, the latter fighting back tears of pain and anger jumbled up in another whirlwind. The prince noticed the others and glared in their direction, "Leave us alone!" He shouted.

"Zuko, I can help…" Katara began to say.

"**LEAVE**!" He sent an arc of fire at the group.  
She didn't see them leave for fear of the angered prince, dipping her head down and burying her face into his shoulder, closing her eyes.

* * *

**short, chapter is short. thanks for the reviews prior, btw (: feedback is loved here! also, over 600 views? awesome~ thanks guys, really.**


	16. Earth VI

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth VI**_

* * *

A sweatdrop formed on her brow. "Well, you tried." She mused quietly from observing next to his uncle.

She had been meditating and then practicing with her katana, only ending the session a good twenty minutes before they had shown up to have him practice lightning shots.

So far, not much progress.

He scowled over at her, ignoring the light wave of her hand, regaining his focus.

"I'd have thought only the Fire Lord and Azula knew of using lightning; but if you can do it as well, Uncle, then that means Zuko can do it too, can't he?" She wondered, looking at his uncle.

He kept his eyes on his nephew, nodding a little. "I surely hope so. He will need it if we run into Azula again. Perhaps if he masters it, the both of you could spar. You didn't seem to have much trouble dodging Azula's lightning the other day." He replied.

She looked at him again as he caused another explosion, furrowing her brow slightly, as she imagined him learning to use lightning; lightning was cold-blooded, precise and straight-up dangerous. But to imagine Zuko knowing how to use it… She shuddered. "Maybe." She answered quietly.

* * *

Thunder growled outside of the house.

"Do you think he's okay?" She asked quietly, looking at him from fortifying the roof (she'd used her earth-bending to keep a solid cover on the roof to make sure they didn't get leaks), looking out the broken window.

He stirred the tea, having been thinking along the same lines. "It wouldn't be wise to head out there in this weather; besides, the tea will get cold." He replied.

She smiled wryly at the tea tidbit. "I'm gonna see if I can bring him back." She declared, pulling the hood of her cloak (she'd kept it for just-in-case situations from the North Pole incident) over her head and stepping out of the shelter into the pouring rain.

::::::::x-x::::::::

It wasn't long before she reached the highest peak where she assumed he was; if he was crazy enough to redirect untamed lightning, then this would be the place.

A cry of frustration sounded as she neared the tip, making her almost jump, before she recognized it to belong to him; she frowned and closed the distance, finding him soaked to the bone with rain; she exhaled.

The rain stopped pelting him; he looked up blearily to see an overhanging arc of rock had appeared, covering him from the downpour.

"You'll catch your death out here." She mused quietly, running a hand through her damp hair.

He scowled slightly at her, sitting up and folding his arms, vainly hoping she hadn't heard him having an argument with the sky. "You shouldn't have followed me; it's horrible weather." He stated.

She shook her head of water, pushing her fringe back, "We've been through worse, so don't start with that. I just wanted to see if you were okay. I know you were pretty frustrated earlier during lightning practice…"

"And knowing you, you were laughing at my failure." He snorted.

She scowled, "I wasn't laughing!"

"Then why _else_ did you come find me? _**Sympathy**!?_" His voice rose to a shout.

"**I came because I was worried about you, you jerk**!" She shouted back.

The air quieted around them, the only sound being cracks of thunder that growled outside of the shelter.

It felt like hours before he broke the ice, "You were worried… about me?" He asked slowly, looking up at her from beneath his brow.

She could've sworn he had heated the place because her cheeks suddenly felt hot; she looked at the brown fabric of his pants, nodding. "Yeah. Of course I was… You go running off into a storm like this, trying to get yourself killed by redirecting wild lightning. A-and it wasn't just me, either, Iroh was worried too, but he stayed back because he's still recovering…" She babbled, her cheeks reddening with each second he remained quiet.

"Mariko." He shushed her, watching her cheeks burn scarlet. He allowed a slow smile, hearing the thunder slowly stop growling outside. "I'm sorry I worried you. I guess I've been worrying you since the beginning, haven't I?" He smiled wryly.

She uttered a snort out of tomboyish habit, looking down. "At this point I'm used to it." She exhaled, hearing the rain slow down to a mild drizzle; she straightened, lowering the shield. "Come on, it's calmed down." She extended her hand to help him up.

Zuko took her hand, lifting himself to his feet; he surprised her when he didn't let go of her hand, leading her to where he'd left the ostrich-horse.

Mariko blushed a little, smiling a soft smile, having a strange feeling that they had indeed grown closer. It'd taken a few years, but they had gotten closer.

* * *

**another short chapter after this one, sorry guys. thanks for so many views tho. (:**


	17. Earth VII

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth VII**_

* * *

"Colonel Monke, what a surprise."

Five… five rhinos; and judging by their attire plus seriously mean vibe they were giving off, they were bounty hunters too. The Rough Rhinos, if she had to wager.

Well great… Rhinos were easy to overturn with a little earth-bending, but it wouldn't be so easy with their riders that most likely were fire-benders.

"If you're surprised, then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps." The head of their pack, Monke, drawled, he and his men brandishing their choice of weaponry.

Okay, earth-bending was a must. She was fast with a katana, but against five?

"You know these idiots?" Both teenagers asked in unison, looking to their apparent acquaintance.

"Of course; Colonel Monke and the Rough Rhinos are legendary. Each one specializes in a specific weapon… They are also a very-capable singing group." He answered calmly.

_You gotta be kidding. These guys?_ She wondered, glancing from one man to the other, digging her right heel into the ground on reflex.

"We're not here to give a concert; we're here to apprehend fugitives!" Monke spat indignantly.

"How about some tea first? What about you Kachi; you seem like a jasmine tea… Am I right?" Iroh guessed, glancing between their opponents.  
"Enough stalling; round 'em up!" Monke ordered.

The one wielding a chain tossed it at the footing of the general; he sent it to wrap around the ankle of the rhino nearest; the archer fired a flaming arrow at the teenagers, the arrow being destroyed with a jet of fire that coincidentally broke his bow, a rock fist sending the archer and his rhino sailing high into the sky from below and with a flick of the wrist she sent them sailing in a different direction when they dropped back down, skipping and crashing into a few treetops along the way.

"Too easy." She mused, releasing a yelp when he grabbed her arm and hoisted her onto the ostrich-horse with him, clinging to his back for dear life as they managed to slip away; twisting about she perked up as the mask-wearing rider cantered closer to their steed. With a sharp flick of her left wrist she summoned an obelisk-pointed beam of rock to crash with his face, knocking him off the rhino. She grinned proudly, huffing. "Bastards."

"Watch your head, Mari," their driver advised pointedly before she pouted and listened, facing forward.

"You're still a prat." She grumbled.

* * *

The air had suddenly gone tense as it usually did before a squabble.  
"I thought you said he was your friend!" He hissed.

He patted his shoulder. "He is."

Even though she wanted to remain calm she couldn't help but feel the tension surrounding them, threatening to clog their very lungs; a bar fight, this early in the evening?

Some of the men rose from their tables; others gauged all three fugitives, probably wondering which one had a bigger bounty on their head; either way she really didn't like how this was going.

"Um, maybe we shouldn't." The more-posh looking bender mumbled.

His friend initiated the squabble and soon hell broke loose inside the bar.

"Let's go," he snatched her hand in his as they fled while the chaos was in full-tilt, darting out of the bar as fast as possible and out into the darkness of the desert.

Just who was this old bloke? And how was Iroh tied in? Geez, talk about a headache…

* * *

**i apologize again for the short chapters. there wasn't much of Zuko in the Library episodes. anyway, Ba Sing Se is going to start soon~ hope you're excited ^^ **


	18. Earth VIII

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth VIII**_

* * *

She grimaced and reluctantly swallowed the stew, handing the bowl to him. "I've got a strong stomach but it's got to be steel-strong for that." She muttered, leaning against the rail.

"Then why'd you give it to me?" He demanded, scowling at her.

She huffed, "Because you're a boy; boys like gross stuff." She excused.

"That's a crappy way to say you're giving me stupid scraps! Ugh, I'm _sick_ of eating rotten food!" He snapped, tossing the contents out into the rushing waters below.

"Aren't we all?" A cool voice said from behind; she made to open her mouth and spout a snarky rebuttal to his complaint but she kept it shut, looking at the owner of the voice, seeing a boy with bush-like brown hair and a wheat stalk puckered in his mouth standing against the beam.

This guy looked about her age, but at the same time he looked like he was into trouble; she lifted one brow.

"My name's Jet, and these're my Freedom Fighters, Smellerbee and Longshot." He introduced the other two teenagers at his side, the former greeting them with a 'hey' and the latter just nodding his head.

"Hello."

"Hey."

"Here's the deal; I hear the captain gets to eat like a king while the refugees feed off his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

The apparent elder of the conversation piped up, "What sort of king is he eating like?"

"The fat, happy kind." Jet answered, turning to the two teenagers as he made a face in the background, "You wanna help us 'liberate' some food?" He smirked.

Mariko glanced at her companion, huffing. "**Trouble** seems to be your middle name, I imagine." She sniffed, folding her arms.

"Damn straight; so what's yours, then, beautiful?" He chuckled, keeping the smirk in place.

She leveled her amber eyes with his brown, huffing again. "Cute, but I'm not interested. Try that line on some other poor soul, why don't you?" She drawled, her lips a thin line.

"Why bother, you're the only one here worth taking a shot on." Jet remarked.

Mariko sneered. "Is that right…?"

"I'm in." Zuko cut across with a rather pointed edge in his voice, turning to face the apparent would-be vigilante.

"So what about you, princess?" Jet nodded to her.

"Ditto." Mariko complied, folding her arms tighter; she glanced at her age-mate briefly, meeting his sharp look and holding it patiently.

::::::::x-x::::::::

It was surprisingly easy to nick the food.

"You were pretty quick in there." She blinked and looked to see his brown eyes were on her as he'd come forward to join her at the rail.

Sipping her tea, the earth-bender huffed at the compliment, pretending she didn't feel the annoyed vibe radiating from the brunette seated a few feet away. "If you're still trying to charm me, you've got the wrong girl. Stealing isn't my thing." She mused, swirling the liquid in her cup.

He rested his back against the rail, folding his arms and eyeing her. "Then having sticky fingers must be an inherited trait or something like that. Besides, think about all the good it would do to use those skills to better help people who've suffered at the hands of the Fire Nation." He pointed out.

She looked out at the dark waters, a scowl forming. "To steal and cause havoc like you? Like I said, I'm not interested." She downed the last of her tea, stepping away to go sit with her friends.

"Just think on it, okay?" He snagged her wrist, forcing her eyes to meet his.

"Jun. Is everything all right?" She looked about to see his gold eyes looking at the scene with curiosity and annoyance muddled into one look, his arms folded over his chest.

She jerked her wrist free, nodding. "Perfectly fine, Lee." She smiled warmly at him, walking forward to take his hand and let him lead her away. "Nice save." She mumbled when they sat back down.

He took her tea cup and huffed, still slightly rattled that that bastard had tried to hit on her, keeping her hand in his even as it rested on his right knee. "Doesn't know when to take a hint, does he?" He growled under his breath.

Relieved and glad that it was him who had saved her, she shook her head, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Glad one of you is at least a gentleman." She smirked gently when he glanced at her after the peck.

He smirked back, squeezing her hand.

* * *

The high wall of the great city loomed beyond the fog.

She smiled a little, feeling some sort of sense of nostalgia just looking at the wall; she sighed, looking forward at the waters, resting her elbows on the rail.

She didn't have many memories of Omashu, or very many of living in the Earth Kingdom, for that matter… All that she had known as a child was in the Fire Nation.

Would Ba Sing Se resemble the Fire Nation in any way? Was their king a kind man compared to Ozai? Did her real parents live here at one point… in Ba Sing Se?

"I guess it'll feel weird returning to Ba Sing Se, won't it?" He asked as he came to stand with her on the deck, mirroring her posture.

She smiled dryly. "I was born in Omashu, not Ba Sing Se… But maybe my parents were from Ba Sing Se. I'm not sure where they were from, really." She shrugged, glancing at him.

He nodded, looking at the high wall, "Do you think they're still alive?" He wondered.

"Dunno, I don't remember my birth mother much; she must've been beautiful though, if she caught the eye of my father." She smiled weakly, looking down at the waters below.

"Must've, if she had an idea that you'd be just as beautiful." He mused.

She blushed, glancing up at his gold eyes and sliding her own eyes closed with an exhale, slugging his shoulder hard.

"Ow! Crap, what was that for?" He demanded, rubbing his arm gingerly, glaring at her and making to add something else when she rested her head on his shoulder; he blinked and looked at her in slight confusion.

"You're such a prat, taking charming lessons from that idiot." She chided dryly.

He felt his cheeks burn before he snorted, pinching her cheek; she made a noise akin to a growl, pulling back to scowl at him. "Like I would even dare. I meant it when I said you were beautiful, okay?" He snapped, perking her ears.

Mariko felt her cheeks burn and she looked down, crossing her ankles. "Really?" She asked in an out-of-character small voice, keeping her gaze down on the polished wood of the rail.

Zuko fought a triumphant smile at quieting her, instead offering a tiny smile, nodding and resuming his posture. "Yeah, really." He amended softly.

She blushed harder and then once again did a girly thing, kissing his cheek sweetly before lowering her head to rest against his neck, her eyes closing. "Charmer." She mumbled.

He looked down at her and his eyes warmed, his arm folding on her shoulders as he held her gently. "Tomboy." He returned.

* * *

**yes more Zu and Mari fluff. i'm really starting to like writing for this couple, they're cute together. anyway, again, thanks for all the views and follows so far, gents. i'm debating if i should continue to Book 3, what do you think? opinions? thanks for your input, gents. srsly.**


	19. Earth IX

**(combining the two episodes where Zuko and Iroh make their way into Ba Sing Se/ Jet tries to expose them for being firebenders, just an FYI.)  
disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth IX**_

* * *

Both teenagers exchanged a look when seeing their 'uncle' trying to charm his way out of trouble with the ticket seller.

"How is _this_ disturbing you? You're a girl." He grumbled, nudging her with his elbow.

She snorted and slugged him in the shoulder, crossing her arms. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I like seeing this kinda romantic crap. Besides, he's only sweet-talking her to keep us from getting in trouble." She hissed, looking away as he rubbed his bruised shoulder.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Tomboys don't **do** romance." He groused.

A vein twitched on her brow; sliding her eyes closed, she tapped the ground with her left foot, making him stumble with a small rise in the earth beneath his feet. She smiled pleasedly when he fell over.

The prince glared up at the smug earth-bender, uttering curses under his breath as he got back to his feet. "_That was uncalled for!"_ He hissed, glaring gold daggers at her serene expression.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, princeling." She hummed softly, opening an eye to look at his flustered face smugly.

Oh she was so going to get it later!

::::::::x-x::::::::

"So, you guys got plans once you're inside the city?" He could seriously not take a hint, could he?

Silently grateful she had plonked herself between his uncle and himself, he made to answer when a vender passed by, advertising hot tea from his cart.

The girl tilted her head to the side as he hailed the vender to give him a cup of jasmine tea, rolling her eyes and snuggling reflexively into his right side, wondering once again when the hell they were going into the city.

The prince looked down at her and noted she looked smaller when she curled up, kind of like a warm ball that was a stubborn-as-hell petite tomboy earth-bender the majority of the time.

Of course when she was acting like a girl he had to admit that it was cute...

"Bah, he meant the **_coldest_** tea in Ba Sing Se!" Their uncle spat out the tea, grimacing and looking at his two companions with a look of disgust towards the false advertising, "What a disgrace." He grumbled.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Jet nudged the prince, stepping away to lead him away from his uncle.

Zuko exhaled and pried her from his arm gently, ignoring the scowl and grumbled insult she uttered, as he followed him.

Mariko folded her arms and scoffed under her breath, still miffed with Jet and now slightly annoyed with Zuko, sitting forward and closing her eyes. "Do boys ever grow out of being idiots, Uncle?" She wondered.

Iroh took his attention off pondering how to get the tea to be warm to see she looked annoyed, smiling wryly as he had a pretty good idea of who she was annoyed with. "Eventually." He answered, ignoring the groan of exasperation she uttered.

* * *

She looked at the gold flowers on the plant and smiled a little. "That's pretty, Uncle."

"I just wanted something nice for our new place, as well as to spruce it up in case someone brings home a lady friend." He smiled lightly, nudging his nephew.

The smile fell instantly; she took on a scowl that matched his nephew's in less than a second, folding her arms. "Doubt that'll happen, if _someone_ keeps scowling the way he is." She huffed, her cheeks slightly pink.

"I can smile!" He snapped, scowling at her.

"You **grimace** half of the time! You hardly smiled when that girl invited us over to her place for roast duck, remember?" She barked, putting her fists on her hips and glaring at him, pissy at the mere idea of seeing him with another girl.

She wasn't jealous, she just found the sight to be sickening… _She wasn't jealous!_

"So you wanted me to take a damn interest in her; is that it?" He rebutted, gold clashing with amber.

"Of course not, I'm just saying you should've been nicer considering she and her mother showed us hospitality!" She snapped, scowling.

"Well maybe I didn't have anything to smile about that time, okay?" He snapped, trying to keep smoke from becoming visible, from seeping through his clenched fists.

She kept a heated scowl fixed on his gold stare before growling and tearing away, storming ahead of them with her fists shaking slightly as they were stuffed in her pockets.

"I might've said something wrong…" His uncle muttered.

The prince watched her storm away with her head held high, proud and stubborn... Just like the earth-bender she was.

He inwardly sighed; even though she held no loyalty for the Fire Nation, there was no denying that she was brought up in nobility, just like him.

A proud, stubborn spitfire earth-bender… Yep, that was Mariko.

::::::::x-x::::::::

She still wasn't talking to him.

As much as he enjoyed the silence, having the silent treatment be done to him based on a stupid reason was something he automatically didn't like.

"Here, have some tea while you wait." Their new boss smiled lightly at the trio as he handed them a cup of tea, turning to go to the back to find some more string for his uncle's apron.

She half-wondered about the drink, taking a sip and grimacing, swallowing it if only to be polite. "What the hell is this, bath-water?" She grumbled, downing the rest of it into the pot of a nearby plant.

His uncle had a more boisterous response; "This is nothing more than hot leaf juice!"

"Uncle, that's what _all_ hot tea is." The prince said dryly.

He looked at him, incredulous, "I can't believe that someone from my own family said such a horrible thing!" He gaped.

She shook her head, grabbing the pot from the table. "I'm sure we can brew another one later on, Uncle." She mused as she turned to throw it outside. Making sure the contents were thrown out, she looked to see there was a glint of dark red in the corner of her right eye; she frowned, opening the window more to see the person had fled down the side-alley.

What the hell was he doing around here? Was he really _that_ persistent?

"Did you see something?" His question perked her ears as she hadn't realized it was only them inside the shop's main room; his uncle had disappeared to the back to probably fix his apron, leaving him with the silent earth-bender.

She met his gold eyes and huffed, turning away to put the pot down on a table, going to inspect a plant.

He sighed, nearing her; he hated groveling like a puppy but he had a sinking feeling he had no choice at this point. "Look, I'm sorry for earlier. I acted like a jerk again and you were only trying to help… Can you just quit the silent treatment and talk to me?" _And stop acting like a brat_, he inwardly added, looking at her turned away amber eyes.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, staring at the wilted plant for a moment longer before exhaling. "If you were anything like Jet, then I'd have to conk you with a boulder." She mused blandly.

Elated that she spoke, he smiled wryly at her words, stepping closer. "Like you could; fire is faster than rock." He returned cheekily.

Mariko pouted and slumped her shoulders, shaking her head slightly before smiling up at him, lifting a hand to run her fingers through his hair. "You're lucky I care about you, you overgrown prat." She chided, blushing a shade of pink.

"Then why do you still act snarky and sarcastic around me?" Zuko asked, catching her hand, holding her amber gaze as he kept her hand on his cheek.

She blushed again, huffing. "Can't have your ego getting bigger than a flying bison, can I?" She sniffed.

He raised both brows before his eyes softened and he smirked wryly. "I'd think a thousand things have to go wrong before I'm ever like what's-his-name." He mused.

She shook her head again, tracing her fingers along his scar gingerly. "And I have no problem beating it out of you if that day ever comes." She chuckled.

The prince smiled at getting a laugh, once again feeling the need to kiss her; maybe that's what it was doing to him by having her around… He just hoped to the spirits that he wouldn't become a sappy romantic.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"How are you 'sick of tea'? That's like being sick of _breathing!_" He declared, looking around for the spark rocks. "Have either of you seen the spark-rocks?" He asked.

"They're probably lost somewhere, Uncle; I'll get some, give me a second." She straightened from her position polishing her sword next to the cot he lounged on, handing it to him and going to look out the window.

Tapping the outer wall of their apartment's floor, she pulled out a couple of rocks the same size as the ones needed to start the fire; she smiled, looking up at having the feeling that she was being watched, perking up slightly to see a shadow shift in the darkness on the opposite building's low roof, a glint of the same dark red color as she'd seen earlier.

She narrowed her eyes, turning back inside of the apartment's living room to hand the rocks to him. "Here y'go, Uncle." She smiled lightly, returning to her previous spot and plonking down after snagging the sword from his hands.

He made a face, ruffling her hair, to which she shooed his hand away and growled a little; he smirked cheekily when she made a face up at him.

_To reiterate, boys were idiots._

* * *

The two guards at her table smiled lightly when she poured more tea for them. "Your grandfather surely makes some great tea, Miss." The one on her left said.

She shrugged, offering a kind smile. "It's kind of his hobby, really…"

The door was practically thrown open as her words trailed off; she let the smile fall, looking at the idiot who'd thrown it open and inwardly sighed… He was a real dumbass.

"I'm tired of waiting; these three are fire-benders!" He exclaimed, pointing to both her 'cousin' and 'uncle' and herself, stilling life in the quiet shop; those nearest the aisle cleared out as he drew his two curved blades, light glinting off the strange swords.

Good grief…

"I know they're fire-benders; I saw the old man heating his tea!" He exclaimed.

"He works in a tea shop," one customer defended blankly.

"He's a fire-bender, I'm telling you!"

Both customers straightened, both of them guards she noticed, "Drop your swords, boy, nice and easy." The one who'd spoken advised carefully.

He brandished the swords again, "You'll have to defend yourselves; go ahead, show them what you can do." He drawled.

Her right foot's big toe tapped the floor, tripping him as he stumbled back and caught himself; she stared stoically at his brown gaze, mindful of the swords. "Leave him alone and go cause trouble in some seedy tavern, why don't you? My uncle isn't a fire-bender; he's as much a refugee as my cousin and I." She said patiently, mentally kicking herself for not carrying her sword with her, fighting the urge to draw her dagger.

He didn't know whether to feel proud that she hadn't fallen for the idiot's charm or apprehension because she was basically staring down the curved swords said idiot wielded.

"It only figures a stupid bitch like you would go and defend a damn fire-bender." Jet hissed coldly.

Mariko narrowed her eyes, her gaze mutinous.

"Leave her out of this. If you want a show, I'll give you a show." Zuko growled, snatching the two swords from the guard and brandishing them, shoving a table between him and the apparent idiot, lunging.

The clashing of blades rang out in the air.

"If this wasn't based on idiocy, I'd feel just the slightest bit honored that he was basically fighting for me." She muttered as she had skirted out of the way to stand alongside her 'uncle', folding her arms as they both watched the fight continue.

Exhaling once feeling the fight could continue forever, she patted him on the shoulder, "This could go on forever unless someone puts their foot in." She mused, slipping past the people that had stepped out to watch the brawl, watching her 'cousin' send his attacker flying back.

Jet made to lunge again when something caught on his ankles; he looked down to see the ground had arisen to hook around his upper ankles like cuffs. "How the hell…?" He grimaced in pain as twin cuffs rose up from the ground to form a vice-grip on his wrists, effectively forcing him to drop the swords.

Zuko looked at the sight in surprise, looking over his shoulder at the bender who'd acted, meeting her amber eyes.

Mariko winked, easing her stance once making sure he was secured, dusting her hands off.

"What's going on here?" Both 'cousins' looked about to see twin men wearing dark green robes and likewise-green hats on their heads coming forth from the crowd, regarding the scene with emotionless green eyes.

"Arrest them, they're fire-benders, and she's an earth-bending traitor!" The caught boy exclaimed, trying to break free of the restraints.

"This boy is confused; we're simple refugees." Iroh defended simply.

"This young man wrecked my tea-shop, and assaulted my employees!" Their boss chimed indignantly.

"Not to mention disturbing the peace," the prince muttered as his fiancé crossed her arms at her chest.

"It's true, sir, we saw the whole thing; this kid attacked the finest tea-maker in the city." One of the guards she'd served tea to piped up.  
Both earth-bender and prince exchanged a brief knowing look when their elder chuckled bashfully.

She looked to the two men in green and smiled politely, "If you two gentlemen would be so kind as to take him away; removing the shackles is an option, though, on your part." She said sweetly.

"You don't understand; they're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!" Jet shouted even as the two men dragged him away by the earth-cuffs (compliments of her).

Ba Sing Se truly was a large city: noone would know who you were, where you came from, what Nation you swore loyalty to… _If you were a refugee_.

If people knew who they were, where they had come from, then Jet's word would have spoken volumes and the imminent threat of dying at the hands of the Fire Lord would be that much more prominent.

But for now, they were safe.

* * *

**whew, this one was a mouthful! lol i did promise longer chapters, didn't i? hope i didn't disappoint.. now off to bed. 'night all! hope there's going to be a ton of reviews for me to read in the morning. 'til then, ja ne! (:**


	20. Earth X

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth X**_

* * *

She stifled a yawn as she shuffled into the living room, finding a note tagged to the tea pot; she lifted a brow, reading over the note and assuming it was his handwriting.

'_Gone for the day, won't be back until tonight. Be good_.'

Hm, so if Uncle was gone for the day and it was their day off… She knew he was still sleeping; even though he stubbornly denied it, he did snore.

A wicked grin formed on her lips as she set the note down next to the tea set, rubbing her hands together briskly.

Being as silent as possible, she snuck into his room and inwardly sighed, finding him turned over with his back facing the doorway, snoring quietly.  
He was cute when he wasn't awake… Ah well, it had to be done.

Raising her left leg half a foot in the air, she made sure he was still sleeping; perfect.

**"GOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE**!" She slammed her foot down onto the floor, causing the room to shake and a sleeping prince to be booted out of his bed by the sharp tremor.

::::::::x-x::::::::

After much cursing and patient looks with a pot of tea, she had conned him into going out on the town with her.

Now that the irritation towards her rude wake-up call had subsided, he half-wondered why she had requested he come with her.

Jet had been locked up so there wasn't much chance he would pop up any time soon, much to their relief; Azula hadn't broken through the outer wall to find them hiding out in plain sight, which was another relief.

Why did she want him to come with her?

"You're being quiet today." She noted as they passed through another alley, looking up at him.

He folded his arms, "You would be too after being so rudely woken up on your day off." He groused.

She rolled her eyes. "For the thousandth time, I'm sorry, it was just a new earth-bending move I wanted to try out." She sighed.

He sent her a look she seemed impervious to; he scoffed and looked away. "You're so weird."

"You…" She hesitated and then sighed again, folding her arms behind her head, leaving it at that. "Never mind. We're supposed to be getting along, that's what Uncle said in the note he left. Besides, it's easier to not argue like idiots." She mused, closing her eyes calmly.

He looked at her in brief curiosity before huffing quietly, deciding that she was right. "It is easier, isn't it?" He muttered.

She glanced up at him as the silence soaked in, smiling fondly and nudging his right arm. "You were pretty good the other night with those swords. I hardly had to step in." She mused.

His gold eyes looked down at her in mild surprise; she was complimenting him? This wasn't unheard of, but most of the time she did compliment it was out of sympathy. He smiled a tiny smile, looking forward. "I'm surprised you didn't; you're pretty fast with a dagger. I've been meaning to ask, where'd you get the dagger you use?" He asked.

Mariko lowered her arms, kicking a pebble out of her path. "When I went to find you at the North Pole, I kind of raided Zhao's armory for a set of four daggers. The other three I keep in my sword's scabbard, whereas the one I keep on me is just for emergencies." She smiled wryly. "They're not broadswords, but they're good for a last-ditch effort."

The sound of chirping animals came from their left; both teenagers blinked before coming upon a pet store.

"Let's check them out," she urged, smiling, taking his hand and leading him into the shop.  
He rolled his eyes and smirked, following her lead.

Even though she was tough and put most of her energy into fighting, she did have a thing for animals.

"Ooh, Lee, look! He's so adorable!" She cooed as she came upon a caged tiger-dillo cub. "Sir, how much for the cub?" She asked, looking at the manager as he was busy sweeping the doorway.

"Two-hundred silver coins, young lady; you wouldn't want one of those, though. They're not very tamable." The man answered, frowning a little.

"Aww…" She muttered, looking into the cub's big amber eyes and smiling sadly, peeling herself away from the cage to examine some sparrowkeets on their perch near the register.

He looked at the sad-looking tiger-dillo and then at her as she had seemed a bit crestfallen; he exhaled, nearing her and clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Uncle will probably be back soon." He urged, meeting her amber eyes.

She nodded, smiling a little, letting him steer her out of the shop. "Thanks for letting us look around, mister." She added, smiling politely to the manager.

The man nodded, blinking when seeing her amber eyes. "Excuse me, Miss, but you look familiar. Actually, you look a lot like Ayu." He said, perking her ears.

She lowered his hand, looking at the man. "Who's Ayu?" She asked in confusion.

"She was one of the strongest earth-benders in the guards, the ones who are under General San that protect the outer wall of the city. As strong as any man… You wouldn't happen to be her daughter, would you? The similarity is uncanny! Curly black hair, amber eyes…" The manager explained.

Her eyes widened alertly, mirroring her companion. "I… I'm not sure. I never knew my mother, or my father. Please tell me, is she still around? Is she here in Ba Sing Se?" She asked excitedly, feeling her heart soar at the mere prospect of finding if her birth mother was alive.

Seeing the growing excitement at what he would say, the man looked away briefly and shook his head. "I'm sorry, she isn't. Last I heard, she was killed in some squabble with Fire Nation soldiers near Omashu, fourteen years ago." He answered sadly.

She soaked it in and slowly nodded, fighting the mistiness building up in her eyes; she smiled brightly, bowing slightly. "Thank you for telling me this. Have a nice day," she said, turning to exit the shop and walk out into the clear day.

It wasn't until she was several feet away from the shop that she broke into a run, continuing to run as she fought the tears slowly spilling down her cheeks, darting into a side alley and then another until she found a dead-end.

She rested her back against the wall at the end of the alley, closing her eyes tight and sinking to the ground, curling up with her knees held tight to her chest and her mop of curly black hair shielding her face that was buried in her gathered knees as she let the tears fall.

Her mother… Her mother had been in Ba Sing Se; she protected this city! …And now she was gone. Probably died at the hands of a fire-bender for all she knew… Was it to protect her daughter? Why did she die?

**_Why_**_!?_

"Mariko."

She heard him say her name quietly; she hugged her knees tighter, hearing him coming closer to sit with her.  
His familiar hand was on her shoulder and he felt her tremble softly; he inwardly sighed, allowing her to let it out as the silence soaked in.

"Why did she have to die…? Why did she die protecting me! I was just a child, an orphaned bastard child… **I was weak**!" She croaked, lifting her face to rest her chin on her kneecaps, looking at the deserted alley, her eyes puffy and her nose red.

"She did it because she loved you." He answered quietly, knowing it was rhetorical and that she was demanding the spirits of why her mother had died; he looked down at his boots, exhaling. "Just like my mother." He added.

She rubbed her eyes gingerly, looking at him. "Zuko…" She sniffed, shaking her head and resting her cheek against his shoulder, her hand holding onto his arm.

The prince looked at her attempt to comfort, when in retrospect, she was the one who needed it more than him; he shrugged his arm free to fold it on her back, pulling her closer as he held her, letting her cling to him.

The earth-bender closed her eyes and buried her face into his neck, sighing shakily. "Thank you, Zuko."

* * *

"… I was just wondering if you'd like to go out sometime."

She almost dropped the pot she used to pour the second customer's tea, sending him an apologetic look before resuming her task.  
"He'd love to!"

The girl smiled, "Great, then I'll meet you tonight infront of the shop." She turned about to leave just as she straightened to put the pot back.

She looked at the girl's retreating back with stony eyes before striding up to put the pot in the back. "Lee, Uncle, can I see you in the back…?" She asked sweetly, looking from one man to the other with a look in her eyes that could rival Azula's lightning.

Sharing a brief look, both of her companions followed her as she led the way to the back area of the shop.

"**ARE YOU ****INSANE**!?" She shrieked, making the younger man jump; they'd never seen her so livid. "What the hell happens if she's some kind of spy and is working for some bounty hunter? Or she's psychotic!? Did either of you two geniuses think of **that**!?" She demanded, not caring if she looked scary or if there was a vein twitching dangerously on her right brow.

"It wasn't my idea, it was his! And I didn't wanna go out with her anyway!" Zuko barked a defense, pointing a finger at his uncle. "I didn't ask to be dragged to Ba Sing Se in the first damn place, and I sure as hell still don't want to live in this godforsaken place!" He added.

"Well I didn't hear you turn her down!" Mariko spat hotly.

"**I** **didn't get a say**!" He cried.

"Both of you keep it down; you're going to get us fired. Now regarding the matter, it's done; Lee, go check on our customers. Jun, you stay here." Iroh put in before the fur could fly, looking to his nephew first before setting his 'niece' with a look that briefly reminded her of his past career.

The prince straightened and stormed out; he paused in leaving to glance back at her when she wasn't looking before he huffed and left the back room.

"Mariko, I know your feelings towards him, and I know that you probably wanted to strangle him for agreeing to go on a date with that girl." He ignored the growled curse she muttered under her breath at the mention, exhaling. "Try to understand, my nephew isn't very adept at expressing his feelings… Without getting angry about it, at least. But I am hoping that with this little "outing", he will realize how he feels towards you. Besides, nothing would come of one simple little outing; by law you are both still engaged until you walk down the aisle. There's nothing to worry about." Like a comforting father-figure he was, he tipped her chin up with a finger, smiling assuredly.

The earth-bender sighed, looking away and dipping her head in a small nod. "Yes, Uncle." She smiled weakly, straightening to follow the prince out of the room; she turned slightly as he followed her, looking at him. "But if she tries anything, can I please kill her?" She wheedled, giving him the puppy-dog eyes.

He deadpanned before shaking his head, ushering her out of the back room. "I'm afraid not."

She groaned in lament. "You're not fair!"

::::::::x-x::::::::

He couldn't do it.

He couldn't kiss her.

As infuriating and odd as it was, when she kissed him, he imagined it wasn't some girl who'd been crushing on him for however long they had been in the city… It was the girl with the curly black hair and warm amber eyes.

The girl who was a powerful earth-bender, the girl he was engaged to… the girl who had lost her mother.

So when he bid his uncle goodnight after returning to the apartment, he was surprised to see what waited for him in his bed.

The earth-bender had been polishing her sword, it looked like, given the katana sheathed and propped up against the wall by his bed, and she lay curled up on her side, clutching a dog-eared and folded piece of paper.

He smiled softly, tiredly: she'd waited for him.

At taking note of the piece of paper she held onto, he neared the bed and kneeled to gingerly pull it out of her hand's loosened grip, sitting back and unfolding it; his eyes widened slightly.

An illustrated portrait of a fourteen-year-old Zuko had been done in black ink, a happy grin on his young face, his eyes bright; she'd scrawled her name on the bottom right corner of the paper, sort of hurried but it was still feminine.

"Zuko…" He looked up alertly at hearing her mumble his name; she snuggled into a tighter ball, her brow twitching a little. "What time did you get in?" She asked sleepily, her eyes still closed.

She was muttering in her sleep; he smiled a little. "Few minutes ago; it was a waste of time." He answered, not entirely lying; it _had_ been a waste of time, really.

She nodded slightly, sighing. "Stay with me… I'll go to sleep in my room tomorrow… Just stay, tonight." She mumbled, drifting back to sleep.

Zuko looked down at the picture she'd drawn and made a mental note to ask about it in the morning, tucking it under her right hand and hesitating to pull away as he noted that she looked more like the girl that was engaged to him than the tough earth-bender tomboy she was when she was awake. Briefly thinking of kissing her, he thought against it and shuffled away to get ready for bed, lying down on the floor and turning on his side, closing his eyes with a quiet sigh.

"Good night, Mariko."

* * *

**this chapter was byfar one of my favorites to write. even though there wasn't much action scenes it was still fluffy (: anyway, feel free to drop some reviews, gents. and i AM going into Book III yay lol hah i sound like a nerd.. oh well. d: book 2 is almost wrapped up, actually. kind of sad to finish it, it was my second-favorite season. book 3 still takes the cake lol  
until next chap, later!**

***edit: also, let me know if i made Zuko too OOC in this chapter.. i'm trying not to make him flowery but at the same time keeping him in character. and yeah, some more backstory into Mariko's history; i didn't know the correct title for the outer-wall guards of Ba Sing Se so it prolly looks lame.. d: nyway, thanks for the views, guys. over 1k views? YOU GUYS ROCK!**


	21. Earth XI

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth XI**_

* * *

"Did you hear that, nephew? This man wishes to give us our own tea shop in the upper ring of the city!" He beamed.

He deadpanned as he continued to the back, "I'll try to contain my _joy_." He said flatly.

"That's great, Uncle!" She piped up from picking up a handsome tip from one customer that left, beaming; she looked at where her 'cousin' went and her smile shifted to one of sheepishness. "I'm sure he's excited for you as well." She said, skirting past the men to go get a fresh pot, stowing the tip in the inner folds of her tunic as she went.

"Look, I know you're not too keen on moving up in the world, especially here, but try to lighten up. At least for Uncle." She said when they met in the back room, looking at him patiently, handing him her pot to pour more tea into.

The prince grumbled, starting to say something snarky but stopping when seeing the pleading look on her face, her puppy-dog eyes; he blinked, refraining from snorting, and exhaling, handing her the pot of tea. "You just love using that '_feminine wiles'_ crap on me, don't you?" He grated, making a face.

The earth-bender smiled serenely. "Your table's asking for more tea, princeling." She hummed, leaning up to kiss him chastely, pulling back to usher him back out of the room.

Zuko pouted back at her, seeing her laugh, before he sighed and did as told (regrettably).

Mariko smiled contently, looking at the wilted plant nearby and making a face; putting the pot down on the nearby table, she stepped out through the back exit to throw out the dead flower.

A leaflet paper floated down and landed lightly on the discarded dirt pile, briefly surprising her; she stooped to pick it up before a breeze could blow it away, turning it over to read the front and widening her eyes.

'**MISSING SKY-BISON: GOES BY THE NAME OF APPA**'

Aang was here? And Appa was missing?

Glancing over her shoulder and around her, she stowed the paper into her pants' left pocket, shuffling back inside and hurriedly getting back to work.

Zuko would freak if he knew Aang was in Ba Sing Se… But what should she do? Should she tell him? Hide it? Or worse, wait until he finds out on his own?

Mariko was at a loss on what to do for the first time in three years.

* * *

He wouldn't be too happy about what she was going to do.

But strange enough, she felt compelled to help; maybe it was the fact that she knew it was impossible to hide a large beast like Appa in Ba Sing Se with its many walls and restrictions; maybe it was because she wanted to make sure he was able to finally restore his honor and birthright by capturing Aang; but most of all, maybe it was because she had the nagging voice in the back of her head that was telling her to help out the Avatar.

Either way, she was going to do this; he could yell at her all he wanted once it was over. She would help Aang just this once and that was it.

"Y'know if you spread the word far enough, you might reach the Earth King." She mused aloud as she came across the group of four posting more leaflets in one particular alley; she'd skipped out on going home to seek out their group, and apparently luck was with her.

The greeting she received wasn't too cheery; Sokka let out a _manly_ '**_eep_**' and scrambled into a fighting stance; Katara and Aang looked at her in surprise; Toph shook her head patiently at sensing the apprehension of her friends.

Mariko sweatdropped. "Hi."

"W-what're you doing here!? Why are you here… _how are you here!?_" Sokka slightly stammered, pointing his boomerang at the girl.

She exhaled and pulled out the leaflet from her pocket, fixing it and holding it up. "Found this a few hours ago; before you try to kill me, I didn't tell anyone about Appa being MIA. Not even Zuko…"

"**Zuko's here too**!?" Again, Sokka nearly yelled, earning a couple of looks from the girls in his group.

"It's a long story, but I want to help… Okay, scratch that: I feel the need to help you out. I know you don't trust me so much, mostly because of Zuko, but please believe me when I say that I'm not interested in catching Aang." Mariko poked the inside of her ear at his almost-yell, exhaling and looking at them with hopeful eyes.

"She's not lying, either." Toph noted before anyone could interrogate her further, sensing the elation from the older earth-bender.

Aang shared a look with Katara before looking at the girl that was supposed-cohorts with the stubborn prince that had been chasing them for months, letting his earth-bending teacher's words soak in; he stuck out his hand, seeing her blink once. "You promise?" He asked.

Mariko's face softened and she took his hand, shaking it. "On my life." She nodded.

The air's tension had lessened by this point, becoming nonexistent as soon as the deal was done.

Slightly reluctantly, Katara had taken Mariko with her to help put up more leaflets, both girls pasting the papers wherever there was cleared wall space, letting the silence sink in.

"Um, so you're an earth-bender, huh?" The water-tribe girl asked as they finished covering an alley, looking at her strange company.

The earth-bender nodded, "Yeah." She didn't want to step on her toes, so she kept the conversation low-key. "How long has Appa been missing?" She wondered, looking down at the handful of leaflets she had tucked against her chest.

"A month or so… Aang's so desperate to save him. We're all worried about him, really… Mariko, if it's fine with you, can I ask how old you are?" Katara looked at her.

"Sixteen." Mariko answered simply, smiling a little. "Don't be afraid to ask; I have no intention of hurting you or the others. I gave Aang my word, and I don't go back on it." She assured the younger girl.

She nodded, feeling a little more comfortable with the girl, looking up as they neared a stone pillar near the creek. "This looks like a good spot to put up more posters." She noted, shrugging ahead of her to post one on the pillar.

She looked at the buildings around them, vaguely wondering if he was wondering where she'd gone to… And if he was angry about her disappearance.

"Katara, Jun?" Both girls froze at hearing that familiar cool voice from behind, turning sharply to see the familiar sight of Jet coming out from under a building's shadow, his calm smirk on his lips. "I think I can help you."

Katara glared at him with blush staining her cheeks; Mariko growled and drew her katana (she'd snagged it from the apartment before 'disappearing' after work). Before the latter could lunge, the former summoned twin wings of water from the creek to sail at the boy both girls equally despised with a grunt of anger, not minding his exclamation of 'Katara, I've changed', sending him flying to crash into an alley's dead-end.

Mariko looked at the girl out of the corner of her eye, "You know him?" She asked lowly.

"Regrettably. Why did he call you 'Jun'?" Katara answered bitingly, looking at her out of the corner of her own eye.

"Alias to keep my ass from being burned alive." She mused.

"Wait a sec, girls, I don't want to fight you!" Jet exclaimed when they cornered him in the alley.

Mariko huffed, perking up as he dropped his two swords on the ground; he looked at them and reached for something in his pocket: with a snarl she and Katara sent a combination of daggers made from rock and ice screaming at him, pinning the vigilante. "Explain yourself now or this dagger is going in your throat." The earth-bender warned in a dangerous tone, a spare dagger carved from rock in her left hand's grip.

Before he could answer, however, Sokka, Toph and Aang (plus Momo) hurried onto the scene, skidding to a halt at the entrance of the alley.

"Katara, what is it?" Sokka asked the two girls, mainly his little sister.

The water-bender relaxed her stance whereas the earth-bender kept her stance out of reflex, amber eyes mutinous. "Jet's back." She informed scathingly.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"Jet!" She blinked at hearing that slightly-familiar voice, pausing.

"I thought you said you weren't with your gang anymore," The water-bender hissed.

"I did!" He answered before being hugged by Smellerbee when he turned about to see it was her and Longshot.

"We were so worried! How'd you escape the Dai-Lee?" Smellerbee asked concernedly, looking up at her old leader.

"**The Dai-Lee**!?" Katara and Mariko exclaimed in unison.

"I don't know what she's talking about," Jet defended, confusion written on his face.

"You got arrested by the Dai-Lee a couple of weeks ago! We saw the whole thing!" Smellerbee explained, looking to Longshot.

"Why would I be arrested? I've been living in the city peacefully." He demanded in further confusion.

Toph frowned, "This doesn't make any sense; they're both telling the truth."

"That's impossible," Katara declared.

"No it's not; Toph can't tell who's lying because they're **both** telling the truth… Jet's been brainwashed!" Sokka piped up, pointing a finger at Jet.

Mariko nodded, "Sokka's right, he has. I watched my er… cousin, fight him infront of the tea shop that night he was arrested by the Dai-Lee." She shot a look at the water-bender that said '_Long story, will explain later_' before she looked at the apparently confused and brainwashed boy.

::::::::x-x::::::::

This place was creepy, and to top it off, they had just walked into a trap… Well great.

_Zuko was going to kill her._

"You have made yourselves enemies of the state: take them into custody." A low drawl came from the head of the Dai-Lee (Long Feng as she learned his name was); the agents dropped down from the stalactites overhead to surround the group, sending earth-cuffs sailing at them.

Toph and Mariko quickly shattered them, the former making two diagonal posts shoot out from the earth as the latter slammed her fists onto the ground, sending four larger fists upward to hit the oncoming men.

"You boys want to play tag? Fine, your funeral!" Mariko chuckled as Toph took on several more agents and she took on another several; she shifted her stance and then leaped up only to slam her boots down hard onto the ground beneath her, making it tremble and then several rifts of rock shot up to take down the batch she'd been dealt with, sending them flying.

"Long Feng's escaping!" Aang barked as he and Jet chased the head of the Dai-Lee hot on his heels, leaving the others to deal with the rest of his horde.

Two earth-cuffs snagged at her back from behind before she twisted about to create another rift and knock both agents down only to then have them be sent flying into the stalactites overhead with a large rock-fist; she yanked the cuffs off sharply, digging her right heel into the earth and forming a shield quickly to block another set of cuffs from the side, letting it shatter at the force of the impact and leave her to dig her left foot into the earth, creating a large rift to send daggers of rock at the two agents, knocking them out.

Damn, there was no escaping these bastards…

* * *

Dawn had come and the sky was still pink.

She'd parted ways with the Avatar, offering a brief wave before she'd hightailed it home, vainly hoping she would get there before either Iroh or Zuko noticed she had been gone all night.

Slipping in through the window, she sighed in relief when noticing the apartment was vacant of life.

The earth-bender rubbed her neck gingerly, uttering a quiet groan. "What a night." She muttered, jumping when the door opened then to reveal both of her companions, freezing in place, watching the prince shuffle in first as his uncle closed the door behind their entrance.

"Oh, um, good morning, Uncle, Zuko! I, um…" She began to explain when the elder of their makeshift family noticed her standing by the window; she smiled sheepishly and rubbed her neck again. "I can explain…"

"I don't feel well…" The prince mumbled, rubbing his head gingerly, not noticing she was by the window as the room spun around him like a whirlwind, things growing fuzzy and blurry; he shocked both his uncle and fiancé when he collapsed.

"Zuko!" Iroh declared in surprise as Mariko hurried to his side, letting her hold him in her arms.

Mariko looked up at him in confusion, worry darkening her pretty face. "Uncle, what's wrong with him?"

* * *

**not much to put, except that i kinda tweaked the story in this. originally i wanted Mariko to go with Zuko to rescue Appa, but i figured it would be more fun if she mingled better with the Gaang. cool right? lol well anyway, some feedback would be just ****_lovely_****~ thanks! (:**


	22. Earth XII

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth XII**_

* * *

She didn't leave his side.

Even when his uncle suggested she get some rest, she only shook her head and continued to sit next to the sleeping boy, her chin resting on her knees and her amber eyes keeping watch over him.

At one point she wanted to hold his hand as he was sweating bullets, the fever dying only to soon be replaced with another one; but she hesitated and kept her hands to herself, hating that he was going through such a thing and she was powerless to help him.

Since she was thirteen she had felt compelled to help the prince, to be there for support, even to comfort him if the road grew too harsh.

But here she was, closer to him than she had ever imagined possible in the past three years… and she was helpless to do something, _anything_, to stop what was ailing him.

Mariko settled against the wall near his right side, fighting the call of sleep even though her eyelids grew heavy, wanting to keep an eye on her charge.

In the end, sleep won, and she drifted into a dreamless abyss.

::::::::x-x::::::::

_Fire ravaged the land, the once mighty buildings of Omashu brought to rubble; more soldiers stormed in through the streets, seeming to be coming from all over, zeroing in on the woman._

_She wanted to help the woman, to fight off the countless soldiers sending bout after ferocious bout at the outnumbered earth-bender._

_With horror she was soon pinned to an alley wall with five fire-bending soldiers poised to strike the woman down. _'_**Mariko**__!' Her mother cried before she was consumed in a brilliant orange and red ball of fire unleashed by the soldiers..._

"**_MOM_**_!_" She jolted upright, gasping for air and panting; amber eyes swiveling around the room, she realized she was alone.

The girl trembled and closed her eyes, covering her face with her hands as she slowly regained her breathing, knowing it was just a nightmare –a horrible nightmare at that.

The front door opening and closing as quiet as possible in the living room jerked her out of her thoughts; she looked up alertly, stiffening and reaching for her katana, hearing footsteps nearing the closed door of her room.

Before she could draw the sword, a tan blur dashed forward to tackle her, quiet growls coming from the ambusher; her eyes widened slightly at seeing who had dashed in… er, rather, what.

The same tiger-dillo cub from the pet shop she'd visited what felt like years ago meowed up at her, his big amber eyes staring up at her in wonder and something she could only assume was love.

"How did you…?" She began to wonder, still slightly groggy, mostly surprised.

"The shop owner gave it to me for half price; he said it was to make up for making you sad the other day." His familiar voice answered from the doorway, perking her ears; gold met amber.

"Zuko? Wait, you bought him? For me?" She asked, the pieces starting to come together slowly.

He smiled, one smile she noticed harbored no sarcasm or snarkiness, just a smile, leaving the doorway to crouch at her bedside, scritching the cub's left cheek. "It's a girl. I figured it'd be better to let you name her; she's your pet, after all." He shrugged.

She held his gold stare for a second longer before blushing prettily, slightly awed but mostly flattered that he'd bought her something (not just something, a pet tiger-dillo cub), looking down at the awaiting cub and smiling a warm smile, pulling her into her arms, letting her snuggle against her belly. "Ayu." She said softly.

The prince smiled again, his smile widening a smidge at seeing her blush, petting the cub's head. "That's a perfect name." He mused.

Mariko gently set the cub down next to her to throw her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly, surprised to feel his own arms fasten on her waist and hold her just as tight; she smiled, kissing his cheek sweetly. "I'm glad you're better; I was worried you wouldn't wake up, y'know, from the sleep…" She admitted, blushing brightly when he pulled back a little only to lean in and crush her lips in a kiss.

Zuko felt her sigh against him and his hands dug into the back of her shirt, deepening the kiss, fighting the urge to groan; why the hell hadn't he kissed her more often?

"Z-Zuko," she panted slightly when the kissing got to be a little more heated, pushing on his chest to force his lips from making the love-bite on her neck that much more prominent, blushing as he held her hands in his own. "Zuko, are you feeling okay?" He'd never kissed her like that before, and even though it made a fire simmer and ignite in the pit of her belly, she didn't want him to stop.

His gold eyes resembled melted suns as he smirked gently, proud and happy at leaving a very-noticeable reminder of his kisses on her neck, letting her fingers lift to run through his brown hair. "Better than ever, though much more better now that I got to kiss you properly." He chuckled, holding her hand to his cheek.

Mariko blushed again, searching his eyes for some sign that he was still his sarcastic, hotheaded self, but strangely finding none; had he gone through that metamorphosis-thing that Uncle spoke of, and did he come through it whole and new? She stopped trying to find the old Zuko, her eyes warming as she decided to succumb to the new Zuko's affectionate mannerisms, exhaling. "I was worried about you." She admitted softly.

Zuko's eyes sombered for a moment before he pulled her into his lap, making her squeak, his arms securing her possessively to his chest, feeling her cling to his shoulders; he buried his face into her neck, closing his eyes. "I know, but I'm here now. And I'm not leaving your side." He promised gently.

How long would he be like this? Would he be like this forever? …She could only pray for that miracle.

* * *

Ayu scampered away to go inspect the fountain.

She rolled her eyes, smiling warmly. "Uncle, I'm going on break for a few minutes!" She waved aimlessly, following the cub outside to see she was playing with the water. "Ayu, really?" She sighed, reaching to pull the tiger-dillo out of the cool waters, setting her on the ground.

The cub shook her exposed fur like a dog, spraying her owner; she laughed, smiling down at the fur-ball, grinning when her fur poofed up like if she'd been exposed to a sauna. "What am I going to do with you, kitten?" She pouted chidingly, catching the cub as she bounded forward to hop into her arms again; she smiled warmly, holding the cub gently, letting her snuggle into her apron. "You're a strange little one..."

A light chittering sounded before something flew overhead only to land ontop of her head; she blinked, looking up to see a pair of big green eyes blinking down at her and the tiger-dillo cub. "Momo?" She wondered.

"Mariko, hey!" She looked to see the familiar face of the water-bender coming forward, smiling; she beamed, straightening to welcome her friend.

"Hey, Katara; what're you and Momo doing in this place?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

Katara kept the smile, watching the lemur inspecting the girl's curly black hair kept half-way back by a red magnolia pin, chuckling at the sight. "Well it's a long story…" She explained about all that had happened during the week that Zuko had been ill, about the Earth King and the arrest of Long Feng and how the gang was separated for a short while.

"Wow, now I feel bad, leaving you lot before all the excitement happened." Mariko lamented, blinking when the cub in her arms squirmed to get free and sniff Katara's pant cuffs; she giggled. "I think she likes you."

"This is a tiger-dillo cub! Mariko, how'd you get a hold of one of these?" The water-bender asked, looking down at the cub, patting her head gently.

"Yeah, her name's Ayu. Zuko bought her for me." The earth-bender smiled humbly, blushing a little.

Her blue eyes widened a smidge, "Zuko's here in the upper ring? How'd that happen?" Of course she felt apprehension against the prince, but Mariko made him seem like less of the jerk with anger issues that she had encountered in the past.

"Uncle Iroh started a tea shop here, so he, Zuko and I now live in the upper ring." She shrugged, watching the cub stop purring to return to her 'mother', accepting the snuggle from the tiger-dillo. "I can give you some tea if you want; I'm sure Uncle wouldn't mind if I give a discount to a friend." She mused, meeting her blue stare.

Katara smiled appreciatively, glancing past her at the shop before meeting her amber eyes. "No, it's alright, Mariko. I needed to get a letter signed by the Earth King, so I was headed in that direction." She stood and let the lemur hop onto her right shoulder habitually. "See you later." She smiled again, turning to leave the courtyard.

Mariko stared after her with a slight frown before exhaling, tucking the cub in her arms and returning to the shop.

She still didn't trust him; it was understandable. Things like that took time to heal. Even _she_ didn't know how long he would be his chipper self; not that she minded the affection, it was kind of long-overdue, but sometimes she wished he would be the irritable hothead he was for so long.

* * *

**i wasn't entirely sure how to approach the whole 'new Zuko' thing, so i tried my best with this chapter.. hope i didn't disappoint. the finale for Earth is coming up, so be prepared! lol anyway, feedback is loved and all that. ja ne!**


	23. Earth XIII

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Earth XIII**_

* * *

"Many times I imagined myself here at the threshold of the palace, but I thought I would come here as a conqueror. Instead, we are invited here as the Earth King's personal guests."

She looked at the looming walls of the palace's outer porch high up, exhaling.

"Is something wrong?" He asked at her side, his arm around her shoulders squeezing.

"I was raised in the Fire Nation, but not once did I ever believe I would see the place where my mother lived, the city she fought so valiantly to protect. It feels so strange to be walking into the Earth King's palace when I've been labelled as an 'earth-bending traitor'." She smiled wanly.

The prince furrowed his brow slightly, disliking that smile, pulling her closer. "You're your mother's daughter; I didn't know her, but I've seen you fight and I know that the same courage she had has passed to you. That smile doesn't suit you, though." He said quietly.

"Zuko," she looked at him in slight surprise, blushing prettily.

He smiled gently, a smile for her, tucking a few locks of curly hair behind her right ear. "You look beautiful, Mari." He added.

She could swear the butterflies building up inside her belly was his doing, and if he wasn't being sweet, she would've scolded him for being so bold in public; but she only smiled softly, kissing his cheek. "So do you, Zu; just don't cut your hair. I like it the way it is." She smiled again, ignoring the blush.

His uncle smiled from having observed the two betrothed teenagers, starting to have a good feeling about this meeting.

::::::::x-x::::::::

A meow was heard from inside her robes, earning a couple of looks.

She blushed sheepishly, letting the cub poke her head out of her shirt collar. "Ayu…"

"Why did you bring Ayu with you?" He asked, slightly alarmed she had brought her tiger-dillo.

She smiled innocently, "I heard on the wind that the Earth King likes animals." She excused.

His uncle shook his head slightly; his nephew smiled at the cub that snuggled up to her mother's chin, looking about the otherwise-vacant room and exhaling, the smile faltering. "What's taking him so long?" He wondered aloud.

"Maybe the Earth King overslept?" His uncle guessed.

She stowed the cub back into the confines of her shirt as two rows of Dai-Lee agents came in, surrounding their table; her eyes sharpened. "Something's off about this…" God, why now? Why, when everything was going great and her life was just turning around, why now!?

"It's tea time." A familiar poisonously-sweet voice said before Azula stepped in to stand behind her barrage of earth-benders.

"Azula!" Zuko bit out as he stood quickly; Mariko glowered at her, bristling just as she felt her tiger-dillo do.

"Have you met the Dai-Lee? They're earth-benders that have a killing instinct that's so… fire-bender. I love it!" She smirked grimly as the earth-bender straightened to her feet to stand at his side loyally.

"Have I ever told you how I got the name, 'Dragon of the West'?" Iroh asked calmly, taking a cup of tea from the table and glancing up at his niece.

Azula examined her perfectly-manicured nails, "I'm really not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle." She sighed.

Mariko felt him take her hand, squeezing tight for one split second; "It's more of a demonstration, really…" Their uncle mused, taking a sip; both Zuko and Mariko ducked low as he spewed fire from his mouth, giving them cover to make a door through the side wall and hurry out into the corridor, Iroh's cover diminishing as he hurried after the teenagers.

She squeezed his hand, snarling and twisting about to slam her left heel down onto the floor, sending a sharp rift to rise up and deflect a few Dai-Lee agents, sending them crashing through one wall as more covered for them, forcing the trio to continue running.

Using a jolt of lightning to break open the dead-end of the corridor, Iroh hopped out to land on the grass.

"Zuko, come on!" She declared, pulling on his hand to lead him after his uncle's jump.

Zuko glared over his shoulder at the oncoming earth-benders, looking down into her amber eyes to see worry swimming to the surface; he kissed her hard, passionately, for one second before pulling away, smiling assuringly. "I'll see you again, I promise." He vowed, kissing her forehead briefly before gently shoving her out of the hole.

"Zuko!" His uncle called as she landed nimbly next to him.

She shook her head, taking his arm and leading the way. "Come on, you know how he is. We're going to need back-up, and I know just the person." She declared, releasing his arm so he was running at her side.

_Please let him be all right_.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"Glad to see you're okay. Sword girl, what're you doing here?" The blind girl asked in mild surprise.

"We need your help." The general said, ignoring the shocked looks from both boys present.

The second earth-bender shook her head, exhaling. "Guys, we can discuss connections later. For now, Zuko's in trouble; Azula and the Dai-Lee took him captive. Normally I wouldn't ask you to save the life of a guy who's been after your tail for the past year, but please help us get him back." She declared, looking from Sokka to Aang imploringly.

"Before we go saving anyone, you know him?" Sokka demanded, looking at her.

Mariko pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'd really like to get into the whole 'family tree of the Fire Nation nobility' issue with you one day, Sokka, but **not. NOW**!" She nearly shouted, briefly showing her slight anxiety she felt towards Zuko being in Azula's imprisonment, scowling.

Aang sweatdropped, taking the floor before an argument could begin, "So we'll work together to fight Azula, and save Katara and Zuko." He mused, folding his arms.

"Hang on, you lost me at '_Zuko_'." Sokka declared.

"I know how you must feel about my nephew, but believe me when I say that there's good inside him." Iroh tried to assure him.

"'Good inside him' isn't enough! Why don't you come back when there's good outside him too…? **OW**!" Sokka yelped when she whacked him over the head with her boot.

"Would you just shut it with the prejudices!? Once we get both him and your sister free, then you can argue all you want, but we need to hurry. There's no telling what Azula will do with having them both imprisoned." Mariko exclaimed angrily, slipping her boot back on, putting her fists on her hips and glaring from one boy to the other.

"Mariko's right; Katara's in trouble, all of _Ba Sing Se_ is in trouble! We need to work together and give it a chance." Aang agreed, looking at his friend stubbornly.

Complying and rubbing the bump on his head gingerly, Sokka nodded.

* * *

A loud rumble sounded as the wall was blasted open, dust clearing to reveal Aang, Iroh and Mariko.  
"Aang!" Katara beamed, rushing into his arms.

"Zuko!" Mariko threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly even as he slightly teetered before catching them both.

Both prince and air-bender shared a glare.

"You idiot, what were you thinking, facing your sister like that?" She scolded, pulling back to slug his shoulder, scowling reprovingly up at his gold eyes.

"Ow… _Crap_, that hurt, Mariko!" He complained, scowling back.

The scowl melted to be replaced with a soft smile; she kissed him, pulling away to look into his eyes again, beaming. "There's my prince." She mused softly.

He ignored the slight blush at having her kiss him in public, exhaling. "Missed you, too." He grumbled, ignoring her soft chuckle. "Uncle, I don't understand; what're you two doing with the Avatar?" He demanded, looking at his uncle in disbelief, letting her go save her hand he held onto, throwing a glare at the boy.

"Saving **you**, that's what." Aang bit out.

Zuko growled and made to lunge if his uncle didn't reprimand him gently.

"Prince Zuko, it's time we talked. Go on and help your other friends; we'll be fine." Iroh waved off the younger boy and girl that nodded and then turned to leave through the hole Aang and Mariko had created.

Mariko smiled slightly at them, holding Katara's blue gaze when she hesitated; she nodded once, sending her off.

"Why, Uncle?"

"You are not the same man you used to be, Zuko; you are stronger, and wiser, and freer than you've ever been. Now you've come to the crossroads of your destiny; it's time to choose… It's time to choose good."

She smiled warmly, perking up as the floor trembled; crystal stalagmites shot up to take both she and her uncle had she not jumped out of the way in time, clinging to the ceiling's stalactite. "Uncle!" She declared, seeing a pair of earth-cuffs shooting forward to take her wrists before she slammed her fist into them, shattering the rock as she jumped down to land expertly next to the prince as Azula and two Dai-Lee agents entered the catacomb. "Azula." She growled.

"I expected treachery from Uncle, but not from you, Zuko: Prince Zuko. You may be a lot of things, but you're not a traitor." Azula drawled, nearing both benders.

"Release him immediately." Zuko bit out.

"Azula, let him go." Mariko chimed coldly, keeping one eye on her and the other on the two Dai-Lee agents.

"It's not too late, Zuko," she continued, ignoring the words of her would-be future sister-in-law, "you can still redeem yourself."

"The kind of redemption she offers isn't for you!" Iroh declared from his cage of crystals.

Azula glanced over at him, "Why don't you let him decide, Uncle? I need you, Zuko; I've plotted every step of this day, this glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we'll win is if we fight together. At the end of this day, you'll have your honor back; you'll have Father's love… You will have everything you want."

With a snarl a glint of silver came out of the right corner of her eye; she hopped out of the way, staring boredly at the angered earth-bender that had tried to take her head with her katana.

"Don't even think of listening to her, Zuko. I know you; I've been at your side through this shit-storm you've faced! You're not the monster she wants you to be! You're still the sweet boy you were, three years ago… You're capable of being a good man, I know it. Please… don't listen to her." Mariko kept her sword aimed at the princess, her free arm extended to shield him, amber eyes mutinously kept on Azula.

Smirking at seeing the plainly-evident love the girl held for her brother, she scoffed. "Really now, Mariko, what good will come out of trying to turn my brother against me, your future sister-in-law? Just think if you join us, Mariko; not only will you still have your place you've had among the noble families, but you'll have Zuko. I assure you nothing will come between the two of you, if you help us conquer Ba Sing Se…"

"**SHUT IT**!" She shouted, the loudness of her voice shaking the rocks, as she fought to keep from attacking. "Don't you **ever** pull your mind-tricks on me, Azula! You're as much a monster as anything and I'll be damned if I let you turn Zuko into the same heartless thing you are." She stomped her right foot's heel into the ground, sending a rift of crystals to scream at the princess.

A jet of blue fire shattered the rift; she held her mutinous amber gaze in her cold tawny stare. "Let him decide for himself… In the meantime, let's move this elsewhere." She skirted around the earth-bender, taking off down the tunnel.

She glared after her, noting she'd sent the Dai-Lee agents away, looking over at the silent prince. She slid her eyes closed, exhaling and sprinting after the princess at top speed.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"Aang, move!" A high-rising rift of rock barreled forward to hit the princess had she not dodged narrowly.

Mariko glared at her enemy, panting slightly, adjusting her stance as Katara lunged, summoning a wave of water to crash into the princess; an arc of blue fire shielded her in time, creating mist that rose up into the air.

Azula appeared soon, sending a blast of fire at the air- and water-bender, missing when they summoned a wave of water to shield them.

Slamming her left fist down onto the ground, Mariko sent a jutting rift of rocks to scream at her when she thought she had an opening, a large fist slamming into her to break her foothold; she streaked forward, summoning the crystals with a flick of the wrist to form into a long sword in her free hand, leaping over the bout of flames that almost singed her boots, twisting on her left heel to crash down onto the princess.

Tawny and amber clashed dangerously before Azula punted her away, a jet of electricity shooting from her fingertips as she sent it at the retreating earth-bender.

A shield of crystal rose up to protect her, one she didn't summon; she glanced over to meet the boy's cobalt eyes and her gaze softened. She nodded to him, smoke rising from the diminishing shield and her fingertips.

"You know, it's a damn shame you're so set against returning to the Fire Nation, Mariko… Killing intent like yours really makes you out to be more of a fire-bender than anything." Azula drawled venomously, smirking at the pissed-off girl, mindful of her katana and crystal-sword she had on hand.

"Nice try, but it doesn't work. Besides, I only exorcise the 'killing intent' with you because you disgust me." Mariko sneered lowly, lunging, swinging the crystal-sword down on her head.

A streak of orange flames shattered the sword, surprising them both, sending the offender skidding back into the ground, digging her heels in.

Zuko came forward onto the scene, ready to strike, glaring from his sister to his fiancé to the air- and water-bender that had been observing the brawl, refusing to look at the earth-bender's widened eyes, deciding to strike the target he'd been after for so long.

Aang put up a blast of air to block his oncoming blast of fire, being put on the offense as Zuko unleashed several bouts of flames at his nimble-footed foe.

"Zuko… **YOU IDIOT**!" Mariko shouted, making to run forward and help Aang when a blast of blue fire diverted her path; she turned about to glare at Azula's smirking face.

A wave of water sailed down at the princess; she reacted in time, another bout of blue flames flying to deflect the attack.

Katara sidled to the earth-bender's side after summoning more water to shield her arms like liquid arm-protectors, noting the girl was fighting back angered tears. "Mariko." She said quietly, stirring her.

Mariko glared at the princess, gritting her teeth. "Right." She let her attack first, watching water sail at her, only to be blocked by another blast of fire; she flicked her left wrist, right hand forming into a quick fist as she summoned the stalagmites from above to drop down onto her target.

The crystals were shattered like glass as a platoon of Dai-Lee agents dropped in on the fight, standing around the princess.

Mariko scowled, her anger and pain swirling around inside her like a ferocious whirlwind, leaving her with the only thought that seemed to process through her mind: **_get rid of Azula_**.

"Katara, help Aang. I can handle them. Don't argue, just go." She smiled assuringly at the surprised girl.

Nodding, Katara turned to aid the air-bender, leaving her to deal with the Dai-Lee.

It was with more Dai-Lee agents and much more weariness on her fatigue that she realized they were outnumbered.

_Crap, there's too many of them… We can't beat them all!_ Mariko glared at the swarm of agents clad in green, ready to strike again, perking up as a bright light shone from out of the corner of her eye; she looked over at where Aang was and her gaze sharpened in awe as he rose up into the air, eyes and tattoos glowing pure white in the Avatar State.

"Aang…"

A sharp jolt of lightning screamed at him from his blind spot, hitting him right in the back like a dagger's blade.

Katara blanched; "**NO**!" Mariko shrieked, tears stinging more painfully at her eyes.

A high wave of water rose up to cut down a portion of the Dai-Lee as Katara sailed towards her companion's side at top speed; Mariko grunted and lifted up a high wave of rock steadily with both hands, crossing her arms over the other and sending the rock to crash violently with the portion she'd been dealt, sprinting to help the water-bender.

"Mariko!" Zuko exclaimed, seeing her skid to a halt and stand infront of the two teenagers.

She held his gold stare for a moment that lasted forever; finally the muscles in her face twitched and she smiled sadly, tears starting to run down her cheeks. "You're not a monster… Not like her." She whispered, turning her face away just as a barrage of orange flames appeared to divide the siblings from the trio. Her eyes widened slightly at their savior.

"You've got to get out of here; I'll hold them off for as long as I can!" Iroh ordered, looking back at the trio.

"Uncle, don't! Please…" Mariko begged, feeling the tears surmounting again, torn between helping him or fleeing.

"Mariko, just go. You've done all you can do." He spared her a warm smile before turning to send a few bouts of fire at his nephew and niece.

"Uncle…" She jerked her gaze away and helped Katara lift the unconscious air-bender, hurrying away to go find Sokka and Toph.

Zuko stared at where she had been standing, the sight of her tears; he felt disgusted with himself… He never wanted to see her cry.

_He never wanted to make her cry_.

* * *

**a bit of a climatic ending to season two, don't you think? /gets bricked yeah i know, crappy humor.. /le sigh  
anyway, i already started season three so i'm going to post the first chapter for that shortly after this one. thanks for the encouragement and feedback regarding the story so far, guys, it means a lot, srsly.**

**'til next chap, later! (:**


	24. Fire I

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

**_Fire I_**

* * *

Something warm purred next to her right ear before a sandy tongue licked her cheek.

Recognizing the feeling, she chuckled and opened an eye to meet the amber eyes of her pet. "Ayu, don't do that." She scolded gently, rubbing sand from her eyes.

The girl yawned as she sat up and let the cub snuggle up to her, scritching under her chin absently. "There was a lot of commotion last night; wonder what happened." She mused, putting the tawny-furred pet down on her bed as she shuffled out to get changed and shrug her katana onto her back.

The tiger-dillo bounced over to her as she made to open the door, hopping into her arms and resuming her spot cuddled up to her chest.

Shaking her head slightly, she smiled and opened her door, closing it to head out to the front deck of the ship.

"Yep, the whole world thinks you're dead; isn't that great!?" The familiar voice of her age-mate declared brightly as she neared the middle of the deck.

"Don't sound so chipper about it; you'll make him conk out, Sokka." She reproached calmly, letting the tiger-dillo down and plopping onto the flooring next to his sister.

The older water-tribe sibling pouted at her as she was handed a bowl of noodles. "Way to ruin the excitement, Mari! Now the element is ruined!" He declared sorely.

"You'll get it back eventually. So, how's it feel to be back from the dead?" She rolled her eyes, looking to the awakened air-bender and smiling a little.

The boy blinked, slightly tilting his head. "Um, not bad, actually. Mariko, I thought you were with Zuko…" He trailed off at seeing the sad glimmer appear in her eyes.

She smiled wryly, taking a mouthful of noodles and eating. "I was, but he's… well, he's lost right now. It's complicated." She mused.

Ayu hopped back into her lap from playing with his lemur Momo, purring softly, appreciating the head pat.

"The important thing is that we're all still alive, and one extra earth-bender on the team never hurt." Katara pointed out, smiling assuredly at the older girl.

Toph huffed, "Yeah, it makes the work load easier." She slugged her fellow earth-bender in the shoulder.

"Ow," Mariko winced slightly before shaking her head and slugging her back. "Gee, thanks a lot, Toph. I feel so special." She said dryly, smirking.

The younger earth-bender smirked back, scritching under her tiger-dillo cub's chin when the pet looked to her for attention. "Good, that positive reinforcement crap Katara suggested I use is finally coming in handy." She drawled, hearing the older girls chuckle.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"Mariko?"

"Yo."

"Why did you bring Ayu with us?"

She looked up from letting the cat poke her head out of her robes, rubbing behind her left ear gently. "Because she needs to stretch her legs. Besides, I don't see you leaving me or Toph behind because we're earth-benders." She answered patiently.

Sometimes he reminded her too much of him, but other times he was funny and goofy, the complete polar opposite of him… But no, he had lost his way. He wasn't here, he wasn't her crutch.

She had to be stronger than she had been when she was traveling with him: it was as simple as that.

"She's not small enough to keep hidden forever, y'know." Said younger girl pointed out, being handed the tiger-dillo cub to hold.

"I know, I just didn't want to leave her on the ship. She's actually gotten to be a little bit bigger than Momo, honestly." She exhaled, folding her arms.

The cub meowed, cuddling up to the younger girl appreciatively.

* * *

"You're okay!" The girl rushed to embrace him, her brother following and the younger earth-bender joining in.

She hesitated and instead patted the bison's fur, smiling a little at the scene.

"Get over here, Mariko; you're part of the group now." She blinked and looked to see Katara's blue eyes on her, a warm smile on her face.  
She nodded and left the bison's side to join in on the group-hug.

It felt strange to be in a group-hug, but then again, it wasn't like she had many friends growing up.

"I have so much to do," Aang said once the hug ended.

"I know, but we'll be here to help." Katara assured.

"You didn't think you could get out of training just because you came to the Fire Nation, did you?" Toph jibed.

The air-bender smiled wryly, looking up, "What about the invasion?"

"We'll join up with my dad and the others on the day of the eclipse." Sokka answered.

"Hey, what's…? Oh, it's your glider." Toph quieted as she pulled out his ruined glider and showed it to him.

Aang took it, frowning a little. "It's okay; if someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better noone knows I'm alive." He said, turning to leap onto one ridge laden with magma and stab the broken staff into the orange and red plasma-fluid, watching flames rise up quickly and destroy the glider.

_Death and rebirth._

* * *

**yo, sorry for the short chapter. wasn't much to cover, ironically enough.. anyway, feel free to review. thanks for the feedback thus far, though, it means a lot to me (: and almost 1500 views? totally awesome~ **


	25. Fire II

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire II**_

* * *

"I don't know about this… these clothes belong to somebody." He muttered.

"I call the silk robe!" She hopped over the ridge to go snag the intended article of clothing.

Both earth-benders shook their heads before following with the boys joining in.

She tilted her head to the side briefly before grabbing a pair of pants, a longsleeve shirt and a maroon tunic plus gold sash, scampering off after her friends back to the cave.

_Friends_… It sure felt weird having friends.

Changing quickly, she reached into the inner folds of her old tunic and pulled out her still-usable hair tie, tying her hair back into a small ponytail like Sokka.

Ayu meowed when she spotted her, hopping into her arms.

"You look comfortable." Katara pointed out as she came forward in the silk red skirt and blouse that only had a sleeve on the left shoulder, fixing her mane of brown hair.

Mariko smiled wryly, "You look pretty; it's a wonder you're from the South Pole," she returned, folding her arms at her chest, setting the cub down to go play with the lemur and bison.

"Is it irony that one of you looks girly and the other looks like a boy?" Sokka wondered blandly.

His sister made a face; the earth-bender rolled her eyes and stomped her left heel into the ground, making a bump shoot up from the earth and throw him off-balance. Both girls laughed as he fell over.

"It's a lot easier if I look like a boy, trust me; I'm still considered a fugitive to the Fire Nation, y'know." She mused dryly.

"Hm, I should probably wear shoes, but then I won't be able to see as well… Sorry, shoes!" Toph forced the soles out from her shoes, one hitting Sokka right in the face. "Finally! A stylish shoe for the blind earth-bender."

"So, how do I look?" Katara wondered of the trio.

Aang blushed at noting how pretty she looked, before noticing her necklace. "Your mother's necklace." He said.

"Oh, yeah. I guess it's pretty Water Tribe, huh?" She mused, pulling it off and looking at it with a sad expression.

::::::::x-x::::::::

He smiled lightly, "I enrolled in a Fire Nation school."

She spat out her tea, making the cub at her side growl and scamper off to hide with the bison. "You're not serious…" She began, wiping her mouth gingerly.

"There's nothing wrong with getting to know them, right? Besides, didn't you go to Fire Nation school too?" The boy shrugged, meeting her amber eyes.

Mariko nodded slightly, rubbing her temples. "I was forced to, there's a big difference. And anyway, it's not exactly a safe environment, especially for air-benders posing as Fire Nation kids. Aang, please tell me you don't intend to go back…" She'd barely scraped by in that damn school, and now he was thrown into it?

"Aang, I'm trying to be really mature about this and not shoot down your idea, but it sounds terrible." Sokka chimed in from having fallen over comically moments ago as they seated themselves around the campfire.

Toph added, "Yeah, we got our outfits; what do you need to go to school for? You coulda had sword girl here teach you on Fire Nation etiquette or whatever it is they're teaching instead of going there."

"Every minute I'm in that classroom I'm learning so many new things about the Fire Nation. I even have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai," he showed them a painted portrait of the Fire Lord, and then another one made out of noodles. "And here's one I made out of noodles."

"It's a damn shame an evil jerk like that is my future father-in-law…" Mariko grumbled, scritching the back of her head.

"**_WHAT_**_!?_" All four teenagers exclaimed, overhearing her.

She blinked before her cheeks turned dark pink and she took a generous sip from her tea, saying nothing.

"H-hang on, your father-in-law… You're _engaged_ to Zuko!?" Aang broke the stunned silence first, balking at the idea.

Mariko put down her tea cup. "It was an arranged marriage; we were betrothed when we were seven. Why, what the hell's _wrong_ with it?" She asked cattily, glancing at him.

"Nothing's wrong with it. It's just… Are you two still engaged, even though he's… y'know, and you're here?" Again the air-bender questioned, sweatdropping at the slightly annoyed look she sent.

"Uncle Iroh said the laws didn't change; unless one of us dies or demands the deal be cut off, we're legally engaged." She informed quietly, looking at the flames.

"All this time, I didn't know… That's why you took it the way you did, when he left." Katara said on a slightly gentler note, looking down as well. "I'm sorry, Mariko."

"Don't feel pity for me, I'm fine with it. And anyway, how'd this turn on me? Aang's the one who enrolled himself in _How-to-Dominate-the-World-101_ school." Mariko waved it off, looking to said air-bender again.

"Right; taking a detour from _Fire-Nation-Dramacon_, I still think it's too dangerous." Sokka took the lead, following her gaze (and ignoring the glare from said earth-bender).

"I guess we'll never find out about the secret river, then," Aang mused, looking down, "It goes right to the Fire Lord's palace; we were supposed to learn about it in class tomorrow…" He looked to the older boy hopefully.

"I _am_ a fan of secret rivers… Fine, we'll stay a few more days." Sokka complied after thinking it through.

"Flame-o, Hotman!" Aang beamed.

Mariko slapped her forehead, shaking her head. "Aang, noone says 'Hotman' in the Fire Nation. You're gonna stand out like an even bigger sore-thumb if you keep that up." She reproached patiently.

"Really? Oops… Um, thanks for the head's up, Mariko." He smiled sheepishly.

She sighed, getting another cup of tea. "Don't mention it; just don't blow your cover, whatever you do."

Inconspicuous wasn't really his middle name, if she thought on it…

* * *

"Forget it, I'll solve this myself!" He glanced back to see his back was still facing him; he stormed out of the prison cell and down the hall.

'**_You know you can't do it alone_**.' Her voice hummed softly in the back of his head.

_Shut up, Mariko_, he inwardly snapped, shutting his eyes tight.

Her warm amber eyes gleamed happily in his mind, her pale face smiling, framed by the shoulder-length mane of curly hair he always liked…  
No, not now. Not when he had turned his back on her.

'**_Zuko_**.'

The prince continued back to the palace, feeling more confused and alone than he had since coming home.

* * *

"He's actually a good dancer," she noted, sipping her drink, watching the kids dance, swerving and moving and seeming to be having fun while doing it.

Both earth-benders had decided to sit on the sidelines and simply observe; Toph for obvious reasons, Mariko because she didn't want to be known… Not really.

"Wow, they look good together." Sokka noted as they watched the air-bender dancing with a brunette girl from school.

Katara shrugged, pretending she wasn't slightly miffed, "Yeah, if you're into that kinda stuff."

Shaking her head, Mariko patted her shoulder, meeting her blue eyes. "Quit pouting and go dance with him; he's your boyfriend, technically." She smiled when the girl blushed slightly, looking at the rest of the kids as they were soon dancing like how he'd demonstrated, "Trust me on this; don't let him go, no matter what, Katara."

Taking her word and nodding slightly, she stood to go "assess" the situation.

"That was actually good advice." Sokka mused as she took his sister's seat, elbowing her.

Mariko shrugged. "Just speaking from experience. Even though things are the way they are, I have no intention of leaving. Zuko will find his way… I know it." She smiled fondly, fighting the inward shiver at saying his name for the first time in weeks.

He nodded, smiling slightly. "Glad to hear it." He said.

* * *

**short chaps again from here to another few more chapters in.. sorry guys. anyway, feedback is loved as always, and thanks to whoever was the 12th follower of this story (: later!**


	26. Fire III

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire III**_

* * *

"Yeah, the only problem with being in disguise is we don't get the hero-worship anymore; I miss the love." Toph lamented.

Mariko smiled wryly, "Sounds like it was worthwhile while it lasted."

"Boo-hoo, poor heroes." Sokka groused from his spot far away from the quartet.

Katara raised a brow, "What's your problem? You haven't even touched your smoked sea-slug." She asked.

"It's just all you guys can do this awesome bending, like putting out forest fires and flying around, making other stuff fly around… I can't fly around, OK? I can't do anything!" He declared.

"That's not true; noone can read a map like you!" His sister assured.

"I can't read at all!" The youngest girl piped up.

"I can't read maps," the oldest girl chimed with a sheepish look.

"Yeah, and who can keep us laughing with all the sarcastic comments? I mean, look at Katara's hair, right? What's up with that?" Aang added, trying to cheer him up.

Mariko sweatdropped at his failed attempt, shaking her head.

"Look, I appreciate that, but the fact is that each of you is so amazing and special, and I'm… not. I'm just the guy in the group who's regular." Sokka quieted them, continuing to stare forward.

Katara sat with him, "I know that's how you feel, but none of us sees you that way… I know what's going to make you feel better!" She added as a thought came to mind, looking at her brother.

::::::::x-x::::::::

It wasn't long before they found an armory shop nearby.

Mariko shook her head patiently when Sokka zipped ahead of them to go look for a new weapon, folding her arms behind her head as she inspected the swords and daggers. She paused at seeing a pair of black wrist-guards that had gold trim on the top halves, making them stand out. "Pretty…!" She zipped over to examine them, her eyes bright. Remembering the pouch of gold she'd kept from her old job in Ba Sing Se, she pulled it out, finding she had enough to buy the wrist guards; she beamed, snagging them and taking them to the register, the pouch in her free hand.

"You have a good eye; that's an original, made by Piandao, the finest sword-master and sword-maker in Fire Nation history. He lives in the big castle up the road from here." The manager said, perking her ears, as she paused in taking the wrist-guards to the register to see everyone crowded around a sword hung on the wall.

"That's it! That's what you needed all along, Sokka," Aang declared once it hit him, looking to his friend.

Sokka blinked, "A sword?"

"Not just a sword, a master." He said, looking at the sword again as he took it down from the wall. "We've all had masters help us to get better; maybe you can study with Master Piandao."

"That's a great idea! I could've never gotten to where I am without Master Paku. Everyone needs a teacher." Katara agreed with a smile.

"I learned from badger-moles; they don't talk, but they're still good teachers." Toph chimed.

"I didn't have anyone to teach me with my bending, but I did have a teacher when I started learning how to use the katana." Mariko offered, smiling at the memory.

Sokka admired the blade, nodding, "It would be nice to be a master sword-fighter… all right, I'll talk to him!" He said.

* * *

He really was good with a sword.

She smiled at the happier-looking Sokka, folding her arms. "It looks like an awesome sword, Sokka." She commented, examining the Pai-Sho tile he had been given.

Her gaze softened; _Uncle loved playing Pai-Sho, but the fact that Piandao gave this to Sokka_… She looked at the castle's closed front gates, shaking her head. _Nah, it's not possible… Right?_

"Hey, you coming, sword girl?" She looked to see her friends already yards ahead of her down the path.

"Yeah, sorry!" She smiled sheepishly, hurrying after them.

"Daydreaming again?" Her age-mate wondered blandly as she sidled to his side.

She rolled her eyes, smirking. "Not in so many words."

"Here; I already gave Toph one of these, but since you're an earth-bender too, and part of the gang, it's only right, right?" Sokka handed her a concentrated ball of black meteorite.

Mariko looked at it in surprise, admiring the meteorite for a second before bending it, letting it form into a thin choker; she smiled, putting it around her neck, before smiling up at him. "Thanks, Sokka."

"Y'know, I don't think it's 'space-earth'; if it's in space, how can it be considered earth?" Katara asked now that she had both earth-benders to voice an opinion, leading the way.

"Must you ruin everything!?" Sokka complained.

"I can't believe I missed you…" His sister mumbled.

* * *

**again, short chap; there wasn't much to cover that didn't involve Sokka (solo). **


	27. Fire IV

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire IV**_

* * *

Dusk was slowly giving way to the stars and moon, darkness turning the pinks, purples, and oranges to blues, dark navy, and blue-violets.

She looked up at the star that pointed north, sipping the cup of tea that she'd brewed earlier before dinner; jasmine, just as her uncle had liked.

Was he doing okay? She knew he'd been imprisoned somewhere in the Fire Nation, probably not very far yet close to the palace… Did he still feel sorry for his nephew, as she was feeling?

His warm gold eyes appeared in her mind for a fleeting instant; she shook her head, looking down at the last few drops of tea left in the cup.

No, he was back home now. He got what he wanted… She should forget about him.

But why couldn't she? Why couldn't she get his eyes out of her mind?  
She put the tea down, inhaling deeply, exhaling slowly, trying her damnedest to get his image out of her head.

'**_I'll see you again, I promise_**.'

"How can that happen when you're so far away?" She muttered, running a hand through her mop of curly hair that had now reached her shoulders and was thickening in volume, just as it had been three years ago… "You're such a damn idiot."

"Mariko?"

She jumped slightly and looked about to see a pair of blue eyes looking at her curiously; she calmed, smiling a little. "Hey, Katara." She greeted with a slight wave.

The younger girl smiled back, looking to her left side to see the tiger-dillo –inadvertently, Ayu had also gotten bigger lately, half as tall as one of Appa's legs— brush past her to go tackle her 'mother', watching her take the tackle with a chuckle. "Ayu was wondering where you'd gotten to… Well, we all were wondering where you went. It's dark out." She informed, joining her on her spot on the ledge.

Mariko looked at her pet, ruffling the teenage cat's fur gently, running her fingers through the strangely-soft pelt. "Just thinking, that's all. Sorry if I worried you guys." She shrugged, looking at her with an apologetic smile.

"It's okay, it's understandable. Everyone needs some quiet time now and then, right?" Katara smiled back, lifting her eyes to look at the moon.  
The two girls sat there in companionable silence for what felt like hours.

The tiger-dillo stirred slightly, resting her head in her master's lap, drifting back to sleep.

"Your father seemed like a kind man. He kind of reminds me of Sokka." The earth-bender breached the silence first, smiling wryly.

The water-bender blinked once at the mention of her dad, smiling a little and nodding. "Yeah, Bato said once that their sense of humor is pretty crappy." She half-joked, chuckling.

She laughed quietly, smiling down at the sleeping tiger, sighing as she stroked her fur. "I found my mother. She helped protect Ba Sing Se, long ago, under General San, securing the outer wall… But I guess she moved to Omashu when I was born. The man who told me about her said she looked just like me." She mused, silence greeting her as the girl soaked in her story.

"She must've been a powerful earth-bender, then, to be able to protect the outer wall… You must be proud." She said in admiration.

She smiled thoughtfully, nodding. "You have no idea." She chuckled.

Even if she would never see him again, even if she thought on him every day, that wasn't going to change her current place.

She was here, she was helping save the world… That's all that mattered.  
… Wasn't it?

* * *

Peeling his eyes reluctantly from the painted portrait of his family at a much happier time, the prince looked down at the small plate he'd imprinted his hand on, when he was little.

_'__**I always admired Lady Ursa; she was kind, and warm... I guess we had more in common than we thought, huh?**_' Her smiling face entered his mind again, her brilliant amber eyes soft and gentle, a side he rarely saw in younger days when they were traveling together, but it was a side he missed…

It was a side of her he would give anything for, right now.

* * *

Ayu growled lowly at her side, rousing her; the tiger-dillo bristled, having lifted her head from resting on the ground, amber eyes piercing the night sharply.

Mariko opened an eye stiffly, sitting up from resting her head on the cat's belly. "What is it, Ayu…?" She began to ask.

"Guys, you're all going to think I'm crazy, but there's a metal man coming." Toph said warily, further awaking her fellow earth-bender.

A reflected light glinted from some point in the distance, hitting the air-bender in the face; grimacing, he lifted a hand to vainly shield it, before all five teens looked to see the light glinting off something metal on the rim of their enclosure.

"Damn."

At the drop of a hat, the man sent an explosion screaming down at them, seeming to not use his hands or any other form of weaponry; a blast of air from the air-bender stopped the explosion from hitting them as the teens scattered to get some sort of leverage.

Mariko and Toph summoned a stream of rock to somehow block the next explosion, but it seemed to make the explosion bigger; again, Aang stopped the impact with another blast of air.

"Ayu, hide with Appa, now!" She ordered the tiger-dillo that didn't need to be told twice, watching her canter over to hide with the bison.

Katara streaked forward with a summoned wave of water as Mariko dug her right heel into the earth, making a pulling motion with her arms as she soon released it, sending a large barrage of rock daggers screaming at the pyro.

As it had been with the combined efforts of both Toph and Mariko's earth-bending, both attacks were wrought to ash and mist as the man sent another explosion down at them.

"Okay, far-range attacks don't work…" She muttered grimly, retreating behind the cover of a tall area of rock with the others.

"This is crazy! How can we beat a guy that blows things up with his mind!?" Sokka demanded after another explosion went off.

"Nothing works on him; far-range attacks backfire, and close-range is damn-well suicidal. We can't hit him!" Mariko chimed bitterly, holding onto her tiger as the feline growled in apparent dislike for the noise.

"Mariko's right; jump on Appa, I'll see if I can distract him!" Aang declared, hurrying away and disappearing into the newest cloud of smoke as everyone followed his order.

It was with slight trepidation the four teenagers plus lemur and tiger-dillo boarded the bison and were soon airborne, flying high over a valley of rock pillars to catch the air-bender as he landed in the saddle.

"Well that was random," Toph mused as she and Mariko looked over the edge of the saddle.

"I don't think so; I think he knew about us." Katara said from the embrace she held Aang in, looking at her.

Mariko scowled down at the darkness, feeling the tiger's head nuzzle into her belly gently. "For now, we're safe. I don't think he can fly… But still, I doubt we've seen the last of him." She chimed quietly.

* * *

**aand we get to meet Combustion Man! yay.. lol d: nyway, things'll get better, promise. **


	28. Fire V

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

**_Fire V_**

* * *

He shoved her back with a grunt.

She panted slightly, lowering the sword in hand, keeping him in her sights; he readied his stance, lifting the sword so the blade was held next to his right cheek.

Nodding a little, she smirked and then lunged again, swinging her katana's blade sharply from the left, attempting to land a critical hit in his side.

Swerving out of the way, he swung down on where her head was.

She caught his blade with ease, shoving him back with a grunt so he lost his footing; she swung at his heels, knocking him onto his back.

Sokka shielded his face as she went for the kill; at not feeling the blade, he cracked open one blue eye to see she had spared him, the katana's tip an inch away from the top of the bridge of his nose.

Mariko smiled wryly, pulling her extended arm back and flicking her wrist, sheathing her katana. "Close, but you should've regained your footing when I shoved you off." She extended her hand to him to help him up.

He took it, getting to his feet with a slight grumble of annoyance that he'd lost, rubbing the back of his head gingerly. "You shouldn't have spared the blade; I could've blocked it." He mused, also sheathing his meteor-sword.

She smiled again, cheekily. "Then why didn't you? Don't tell me you let me win." She raised both brows, stepping away to go lounge.

Sokka followed, slinging his sheathed sword over his shoulder. "B-because you **surprised** me, that's why!" He barked.

"Well good, it warms my heart to know I can still inspire fear into my opponent." Mariko laughed.

He grumbled under his breath, yelping when a blur of tan and beige tackled him, sending him down so he landed on his back for the second time within an hour, hearing the girl giggling. "M-Mariko, get this oversized cat off me!" He complained, trying to fight off the sandpaper tongue that was licking at his cheeks and face.

She laughed again, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye. "Ayu, come on, now; he's not an oversized piece of beef jerky like you think he is." She chided lightly.

The adolescent tiger-dillo growled lightly at her 'prey' before getting off him to rear and nuzzle her cheek with that of her 'mother', making her laugh quietly again.

"I still don't understand how you managed to tame her; tiger-dillo are usually wild." Sokka mused after he had gotten back up, rubbing his head.

Mariko rolled her eyes; he was never a fan of pets, apparently… "I got her when she was still a cub, and that was a few months ago; of course she listens to me because I think she believes I'm like her mom." She smiled sadly, looking down at her pet, rubbing behind her left ear. "Ironic enough, she's named after my real mother. Zuko let me name her after he bought her from the pet shop." She added quietly.

Ayu's ears twitched at his name; Sokka looked at her, noting she looked a little sad. He nodded, looking forward as they were nearing the campsite. "I didn't know he was the one who gave her to you; I guess his uncle was right about that 'goodness' thing." He knew of what had happened under the city, in the crystal city, how they'd lost by being outnumbered by the Dai-Lee.

"Yeah." Mariko sighed, banishing the thoughts away, smiling down at the tiger-dillo. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, that day. I was just worried about… well, you know." She smiled weakly up at him.

"It's fine, I understand. Of course it kinda proved the point that girls are so weird." He said with an aloof look.

She deadpanned, exhaling; her right foot tapped the ground, making a bump appear in his path, closing her eyes serenely when he flailed and fell face-forward, a small dust cloud forming. "So understanding. Oi, Katara, your brother got his ass owned again." She informed as they were in sight of the campsite, waving aimlessly, letting Ayu scamper ahead of her to see her female cohorts.

Toph sighed, "I knew it wouldn't end well on his part; I thought with a new fancy sword you'd be able to kick ass. But apparently that didn't go very well considerin' you were fighting a girl." She lamented sardonically as said earth-bender plonked down next to her and stretched her legs out.

"It's not like I went easy on her! Besides, she's not fair, using earth-bending!" Sokka complained as he stomped forward, scowling at both earth-benders.

Katara shook her head knowingly. "I'm sure Mariko wouldn't double-cross you during a sparring session, Sokka." She said patiently.

Mariko accepted the cheek-nuzzle from her pet, hugging her neck gently. "What for? There's no fun in double-crossing a friend; besides, Ayu made it up to him by licking him to death." She said lightly.

Said boy scowled at all three girls, slapping his forehead. "Crap, there's too much girly-ness here…"

::::::::x-x::::::::

A sweatdrop formed on her brow at the sight of the meditating Aang appearing to use the toilet in the spirit world.  
"I don't think the spirit world has a toilet…" She mumbled.

"It doesn't, does it?" She wondered, slightly appalled at the sight.

Her brother answered, nonchalantly, "No, it does not."

All three girls sweatdropped.

* * *

He could swear his head was spinning.

So if Fire Lord Sozin was from his father's side, and Avatar Roku was from his mother's, then…  
God this was confusing!

'**_You've been hunting down your own cousin for three years_**.' Her calm voice mused in the back of his mind as he stormed away down the dank corridor.

_We're not related!_ He mentally argued, feeling like such a moron for arguing with a figment of his imagination.

Her soft chuckle sounded; '**_Deny it all you want, but it's the truth… And you know it_**.'

He inwardly growled, pretending her words didn't echo in his head.  
'**_You're not a monster… Not like her_**.'

* * *

**about the cousin thing, don't ask. it was just a theory i came up with.. unless i'm right? dunno, feedback and critique would be nice tho (: thanks, and later!**


	29. Fire VI

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire VI**_

* * *

Ayu purred softly, dozing now and then.

Mariko stared down at the training session the girls had for Aang, swinging her legs over the ledge aimlessly (she'd positioned herself on the ledge overlooking the small creek they were practicing by).

Right now, she could swear she was hearing two cats begin to hiss at each other.

"What's the matter; can't handle some dirt, Madam Fussy-britches?" Toph taunted the water-bender she'd accidentally chucked a rock at (and inadvertently knocked over, as well).

Katara blinked once before a vein twitched on her left temple and she strode forward.

The third girl sweatdropped, rubbing behind the tiger-dillo's right ear. "This doesn't spell out anything good…" She muttered. She'd had a sinking feeling there was a sort of tension between the two girls, even when she didn't know them very well at one point, so the fact that they were coming to a head currently was further emphasizing the tension she'd sensed.

Whether it was because of a sense of comparing one's teaching methods to the other's, rivalry concerning Aang's affections, or simply because they were polar opposites was still an enigma to her.

Fireworks were sometimes amusing to watch… Like now.

"**SNEAK ATTACK**!" Sokka cried as he tried to get the jump on a blindfolded Aang, before said party flicked his wrist and a pillar of rock rose up to stop him in his tracks.

Ayu awoke with a growl, blinking open her amber eyes; Mariko snorted and snickered quietly.

"Sokka, that's not how sneak-attacks work." Aang reproached calmly, not paying mind to the girls as he pulled up his blindfold. "Um, guys? I thought we were supposed to be training me." He finally turned to see both earth- and water-bender close to a catfight, sweatdropping.

Gaining her composure again, Katara huffed and slipped away, wiping mud off her face with a hand. "Very well; that will conclude our training for today, young pupil." She said calmly, turning to go clean herself up.

"While Katara cleans herself up, let's go have some fun!" Toph wiped off the mud with ease, stepping over to the two boys. "Oi sword girl, you coming?" She asked, sensing said earth-bender lounging to the right.

Mariko hopped down from her roost, landing nimbly as Ayu did the same shortly after, shrugging her sword over her shoulder. "Yeah, I'm in. Ayu, stay with Appa, okay?" She ruffled the cat's fur gently, smiling, trotting over to her friends.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"I can't believe you bought that." She shook her head.

After a slightly heated argument between both earth and water-bender half an hour ago, she had accompanied him to town to spend his money. She didn't need to partake in the scams, mostly because she still had some gold left over from when she'd bought her wrist-guards from the armory shop weeks ago, but it was fun to watch them scam the scammers, she would admit that.

The hawk chirped; his new owner made a face at her. "What? You're the one who keeps a tiger-dillo as a pet, Aang has a sky-bison and lemur, and I can't have a messenger hawk?" He remarked.

She rolled her eyes, shrugging. "We might as well open up a zoo because we've got so many pets." She mused placidly. "Though I suppose you're right in getting a hawk; they're pretty cool." She added.

Smiling lightly, he turned to his new pet. "Hawkie, my name's Sokka, and as your new owner I should tell you, there's already a lemur in our group. So there's no fighting in our group, okay?" The hawk chirped again and he scritched his chest feathers, "that's a good Hawkie, who's a good Hawkie?" He cooed.

She rolled her eyes again; _God help him if Ayu decides to have roast hawk for breakfast_, she thought, perking up as they passed a notice board and a poster of a familiar face was pasted to it.

Stopping, she pulled it down and examined it, reading over the warrant and her eyes widened slightly, looking to the crudely drawn illustration of a certain blind earth-bender; she grabbed the back of his tunic, pulling him to a stop. "Sokka…"

"What is it…? Oh boy." He took the paper and examined it, before looking to the hawk. "You're right, Hawkie, this is bad." He mused before the bird seemed too terrified it used the toilet (thankfully, on the ground).

The earth-bender sweatdropped.

* * *

The tiger-dillo watched lazily.

Moonlight glinted off the blade of her sword as she lowered it, facing down the dummies she'd created from rock that were in the shape of a certain princess.

With a grunt she flew forward to attack the five dummies placed before her, ducking and swerving around the first one, cutting it right in the middle with her katana's blade; the dummy clattered to the ground. She swerved about, the katana's blade sharply cutting off the head of the second dummy, charging at the third and fourth, a dagger made of rock in her right hand as she tossed it at the side of the head of the third dummy, the fourth dummy being cut down with more ferocity behind the side-swing she pulled using her katana.

Skidding to a halt, she glared at the fifth and last dummy, panting, narrowing her amber eyes; with a battle cry, she leaped overhead, landing expertly behind the rock figure, stabbing the blade of her sword deep into the neck.

Like the quartet before it, the fifth dummy clattered to the ground, dust flying up from the rubble.

Sheathing her katana, she lowered to sink down on the ground, closing her eyes as she regained her breathing slowly.

Mariko looked up at the stars that dotted the night sky, making it seem brighter than the moon; she raised a hand, making to capture a handful of bright lights that shined vainly down on her.

His familiar gold eyes gleamed down at her, a warm smile on his lips.

She closed her hand, lowering it to hold it to her heart; she closed her eyes, turning on her side.

Ayu rose from her spot watching the solitary training, nuzzling the girl's cheek, settling to lie down next to the girl's turned back, her head on her squared shoulders.

"Zuko."

* * *

**y'know, listening to Explosions by Ellie Goulding atm while editing this really makes me ship this OTP i've created.. irony lol nyway, thanks for the favs/follows, gents! they mean a lot. (:**


	30. Fire VII

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire VII**_

* * *

She yawned. "What the hell's all the noise for…? It's still early!" She rubbed her eyes gingerly, lifting her head from the pillow her tiger's side had been.

"**Mariko, get up**! In my dream you fell asleep creating an earthquake, and you feel into the fissures into a lake of lava!" Aang zipped over to her, further awaking the earth-bender.

Ayu growled unappreciatively up at him, dropping her head back down.

Mariko rolled her eyes, poking his chest with a finger, pushing him back gently. "Aang, it was just a dream. You're going nuts over a simple invasion of the Fire Nation. Besides, knowing the cranky bastard that my future father-in-law is, he'll prolly piss his pants when the eclipse starts. For God's sake, stop worrying." She assured dryly, rubbing sand from her eyes again, sitting with her legs crossed in meditation-style.

"B-but still!" He flailed, perking up as he saw the younger earth-bender drinking water. "**Don't drink that**!" He shouted, making Sokka yelp from his position scaling the cliff and Toph spit out the water.

"_W-why, is it poisoned!?_" Toph demanded indignantly as Katara (whom she'd spat the water on) removed the water absently.

"No, but in my dream we were in the middle of the invasion, and you had to stop to use the bathroom: we died because of your tiny bladder!" Aang exclaimed, making a gesture of holding his legs together.

Mariko slapped her forehead and then sighed, shaking her head as she stood reluctantly from lounging with her tiger-dillo, stretching.

"And you, you need to start wearing your hair up again! In my dream we were fighting and your hair got caught up in a tree branch, and…" He turned to the water-bender.

"Aang, calm down; I know you're only trying to help, but you're overthinking this. You're unraveling." Katara touched his cheek gently, blue eyes patient.

He exhaled shakily, "Yeah, you're right; I'm losing my mind." He nodded.

"I'm going to go meditate over there by the wombat-sheep if you wanna come, Aang; it might take your mind off things." Mariko announced with a stifled yawn, looking to the boy wonder with a raised brow.

"I'd _suggest_ it, before you drive the rest of us just as batty." Toph chimed under her breath.

Katara nodded, smiling appreciatively at her friend, "Yeah, that's a great idea, Mari! I think you should, Aang." She smiled up at him.

Aang looked from one girl to the other before complying reluctantly, sighing as he trodded ahead of the earth-bender.

Mariko looked at the two girls and shrugged, smiling lightly, following with Ayu trailing behind her.

* * *

His mouth was set in a thin line as he stared up at his father's painting. "During the war meeting, I was the perfect prince… The son my father always wanted. But I wasn't me." He mused quietly.

'**_You weren't yourself because you know this isn't right. You and I both know it, Zuko_**.' Her voice said in a slightly sad tone.

"Zuko," a hand was placed on his shoulder from the right; he looked at the owner of the hand and his eyes sharpened for the briefest second.

Mariko stood there at his side, a warm smile on her full lips, her curly black hair framing her face in a lovely way that made his insides ache. '**_Zuko_**…'

The prince looked away sharply, closing his eyes tight for a second to get the image out of his head, hearing his friend talking in a rather concerned way, "Zuko, is something wrong?"

He looked again and Mariko had disappeared to be replaced with Mai's usually apathetic face, her eyes on him; he shook his head, flashing a thin smile, pulling away. "No, everything's fine." He started to walk away before turning to bow briefly, straightening to meet her puzzled face. "Thanks for being a good friend, Mai." He added, turning away to start down the hall to head further into the palace.

Even when she wasn't around, she still drove him crazy… Crap, what was this girl **doing** to him?

* * *

**just a head's up, as you've guessed, the next chap will deal with The Day of Black Sun eps. and as you've prolly noticed by the end of this chap, i didn't make Mai out to be the girl Zuko would cheat on Mariko with. i like Mai's character, personally, so i figured she'd be better as a friend instead of anything non-platonic. besides, Zuko's got his own crap to deal with to think of cheating on Mariko.. but i digress.  
nyway, feedback is loved and all; later!**


	31. Fire VIII

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire VIII**_

* * *

The tiger-dillo trodded to her side as the girl secured the belt at her waist.

She looked down at her reflection in the mirror (which was just a piece of ice Katara had loaned her to help her see if her outfit looked correct), placing her hands at her hips.

Her Fire Nation garb had been shed to make way for her new garb (she'd gone green like the other earth-benders and Earth Kingdom soldiers): her tunic was hunter green with gold on the lapel, the sleeveless undershirt dark gray, a jade green belt tied securely around her small waist with the Earth Kingdom insignia as a buckle, her pants with pockets black, the cuffs rolled up to her shins, white bindings on her legs from the shin down to cover her feet, finishing at the toes.

After pulling her curly black hair into a high ponytail, she looked at her reflection a second longer before smiling privately.

This was probably how her mother had looked when she defended Ba Sing Se.

Ayu nudged her left hip, stirring her attention away.

Mariko smiled down at the tiger, pulling the meteor-choker from her neck, stretching the material to form into a thin collar she placed around the tiger-dillo's mane, securing just below the jugular; she stroked her fur gently, amber clashing with amber warmly. "We're going to end this today, Ayu. This war will be long gone, I'm sure of it." She said softly, embracing the young adult tiger-dillo, straightening to chuck the ice-mirror far into the waters beyond their island, hurrying to go board the ships.

His warm gold eyes flashed in her mind; she looked up at the sky, sliding her eyes closed and smiling softly, continuing on her way to the jetty.

_Will I see you again after all, Zuko?_

* * *

This didn't smell right.

The four teenagers plus father of the water-tribe siblings looked up to see the air-bender dropping down infront of them from his new glider, a troubled look on his face.

"Please tell me you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a big wimp and we didn't need the eclipse to take him down…" Sokka began anxiously.

Aang lamented, "He wasn't home: noone was! The entire palace city is abandoned."

"Damn, how did they know… Azula." Mariko growled out her name with venom, glaring ahead to the city enclosed in the valley. "She knew we were coming, she knew about the eclipse… Crap, this is not good_." I'm really starting to hate her_, she mentally added.

"It's over; the Fire Lord is long gone, probably somewhere far away in a remote place so he can be safe during the eclipse." Aang shook his head.

"No," Sokka said thoughtfully, "My instincts tell me he wouldn't go too far. He would have a secret bunker, someplace he can go during a siege, but still be close enough to lead his nation."

Toph piped up, "If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for, then I'm just the girl to find it." She said proudly.

Mariko nodded, "I'm coming too; if by chance we run into Azula again, it'll be my pleasure to knock her from her throne." She grinned cheekily at the idea. "Katara, can I trust you to take care of Ayu for me?" She looked to the girl who nodded.

Katara smiled wryly, "Make sure to hit her hard for me." She shared a grin with her friend.

Sokka rolled his eyes at them, looking at Aang, "The Mechanist gave me this timing device; it looks like we've got 10 minutes until the full eclipse. Ten minutes to find the Fire Lord." He said.

Aang smiled, confidence boosted, "We can do this: we can still win the day." He assured.

"Wait, if they knew we were coming, then this could be a trap. Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure we all get out of here safely." Katara said, looking to her brother.

"Everyone who came here today came ready to sacrifice everything to fulfill this mission: they know what's at stake." Hakoda stated, looking to his two children. "If there's still a chance, and there's still hope, then I think they'd want Aang to go for it."

"What do you think? You're the one who has to face the Fire Lord, whatever you decide, I'm with you." Sokka asked the air-bender.

Aang looked down briefly, looking back up with determination in his eyes. "I've got to try." He mused, looking to the palace city again as he straightened.

::::::::x-x::::::::

She ignored the gaping expressions on her friend's faces, drawing her katana. "Of course you knew; anyone with an ounce of insanity can sense when chaos is going to come, right?" She drawled, amber clashing with tawny icily.

The princess smirked grimly at the clear hatred blazing in her gaze, lifting a hand to examine her nails. "Staying one step ahead of my enemy is something ingrained into the mind when you're born into royalty. Of course you would know nothing about that, would you? You're really just an orphaned peasant dreaming of being a queen… That's all you ever were, Mariko. And that's all you'll **die** as, too."

She narrowed her eyes, tapping the ground with her right foot so a jagged rift shot up to hit her on the throne chair; she dodged in time, doing a somersault in mid-air before lunging at her enemy.

Mariko snarled as she lunged at her, swinging her katana sharply from the left, narrowly missing her target save the few unlucky strands of brown hair that were caught on the blade's sharp side; she drew back and dug her left heel into the ground, perking up as a fist made of rock began to snag at her ankle, forcing her to zip forward into her awaiting enemy's blade.

Azula swung a leg out to hit her in the face, being blocked with a pillar of rock that shot out from the wall next to her; she hopped back, skidding into the ground, glaring at the girl's livid amber eyes.

"Sword girl, quit hogging all the fun." Toph smirked before she shifted her stance and sent two more pillars to crash with the princess, hearing her comrade chuckle as she dropped back out of the crossfire.

The princess sneered at the quartet, "When I left Ba Sing Se, I brought home some souvenirs." Twin agents clad in green dropped down to land on either side of her. "Dai-Lee agents."

_Well damn_.

* * *

Retreat for now, fight another day.

She could swear fate had a really crappy sense of humor, especially with her life.  
The tiger-dillo nuzzled up to her, receiving a gentle hug from her 'mother'.

The earth-bender looked out at the puffy white clouds surrounding them as they flew to the Western Air Temple, the wind playing with her mane of hair she'd let down.

She hugged the tiger's neck a second time, closing her eyes.

_This was so not over_.

* * *

**there were some parts i wanted to cover in the DoBS episode(s) but i was kinda lazy about it.. sorry. ^^; anywho, the Fire Nation won the battle, but will they win the war? **


	32. Fire IX

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire IX**_

* * *

She smiled wryly after the boys, perking up when meeting the green eyes of Haru.  
"You wanna come?" He asked, smiling.

Cute, he was trying to be nice to her; she nodded, trotting after the two other boys, The Duke and Teo, sidling to his side.

"So you're an earth-bender too." Haru started, perking her ears as they let the two younger boys take off into the rest of the ruins, walking at her side.

Mariko nodded, smiling at him. "Yeah, Katara said you were one too. You and your father fought bravely the other day." She mused, blinking when feeling a furry cheek nuzzle her exposed right arm; she looked to see her tiger-dillo had followed, walking loyally at her right, amber eyes warm.

"Heh thanks." Haru smiled humbly, looking at her pet and blinking once. "Your tiger-dillo seems to like sticking by your side." He noted.

Ayu looked to him and growled quietly before being tapped on the head by her master.

She smiled sheepishly, "She's a bit over-protective around guys she's not used to. Sorry. She likes Sokka and Aang enough, and Teo too." Maybe she knew he wasn't the boy who'd bought her from that shop in Ba Sing Se what felt like years ago.

He smiled down at the tiger-dillo, looking forward as Teo and The Duke were now racing each other, smiling a little. "She probably thinks of you like her mother. You have her trained well." He mused.

She chuckled, her cheeks coloring a smidge. "Prolly so; she was a cub when I got her, in Ba Sing Se." She shrugged, following his gaze.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you survive living in the Fire Nation for so long, even though you were an earth-bender?" Haru asked as they got deeper into the ruins, the light dimming slowly around them.

Mariko paused short of seeing a statue of an air-bender woman, looking at the serene expression carved on her face; she smiled sadly. "My foster parents adopted me from Omashu when I was three. I'm not really sure myself on how I survived, but I want to say that it's because of them that I was able to not worry about anyone finding out that I was an earth-bender. I didn't have a lot of friends as a kid; but I guess being betrothed to the crown prince tends to ward away any possible friends your own age." Most of her memories since she was seven were of hanging out in the palace's courtyards, getting along with the princess and her friends, Mai and Ty Lee, probably as some vain hope that she would make lifelong friends with girls that were clearly Fire Nation. "I was always the odd girl out, though. But the prince and I, we got along well enough. When we weren't butting heads, that is." She chuckled.

He stood next to her, looking at the statue. "You sound like you miss him." He mused.

She closed her eyes, exhaling. "I do, like you wouldn't imagine, but he… he's confused, confused with what's right and wrong. He should be happy now that the siege is over, and that he doesn't have to see me again." She huffed, smiling bitterly. "He's got what he always wanted: his birthright, the throne, and his father's love." She said the last bit with an icy undertone.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, seeing her look up at him with a frown on her face before she looked away, huffing again.

"I need to go ask Toph something." She pulled away to go find her friends; she turned briefly to bow politely, straightening. "Thanks for listening, Haru." She turned again to take off at a run back to the main area, her tiger-dillo cantering at her side.

The tears wanted to flow again, burning the bottom rims of her eyes; she stopped short of another corner, leaning her back against the hard stone and closing her eyes tight, gritting her teeth as a pained whimper fought to come out.

Ayu stared up at her master as she hung her head and put her hands to her face, covering her eyes.

"Why does this still hurt, Ayu? He's not here, he's miles away from me, but why does it still hurt to think of him!?" Mariko bit out hoarsely, rubbing her eyes of hot tears.

The tiger-dillo lowered her ears and nuzzled her belly as she would do when she was smaller, letting her embrace her neck and hold onto her, purring.  
A familiar scent wafted in her nose; the oversized cat licked her ear, rousing her.

"What is it, Ayu…?" She looked down at the feline, perking up as she turned away to scamper back to the others; sniffing and rubbing her nose gingerly, she followed until she was running alongside the tiger-dillo.

Both of them skidded to a halt to see the quartet in fighting stances as they glared at a familiar face with gold eyes.

_Zuko?_

::::::::x-x::::::::

Katara was going to kill her.

She wasn't entirely sure she was being sane by doing this… But it had to be done.

She had to do it, to make sure this was real. To make sure this wasn't some weird dream, to make sure she wouldn't wake up and see that he really wasn't there… To make sure he was changed for the better.

Being quiet about sneaking up on his camp, she made sure her landing was silent, looking about the dimly-lit clearing, the fire that burned vainly in the center, the makeshift tent he'd put up that housed a sleeping prince.

Deciding not to sneak up on him in his sleep (unless she wanted to be hit with a fireball face-first), she silently exhaled, her bare foot's heel tapping the ground; the earth rose up beneath him in a bump and immediately dropped down, waking him up.

"Who the…?" He scrambled to his feet and out from under the tent's covering, skidding to a halt to see her standing there on the other side of the fire, a stoic look on her pretty features. "Mariko?" He relaxed his fighting stance, rubbing the sand from his eyes with his left hand, fighting a grimace from the other earth-bender's hit to his ribs. "Is that you?" He asked in surprise.

She let her stoic façade falter a smidge at seeing him favor the left side of his ribs, bringing it back up instantly and exhaling, placing a hand up when he stepped forward. "First of all, you're the biggest idiot I've ever met; that speech earlier was piss-poor if I've ever heard one. Second, I'm still in shock that you're actually here and not back in the Fire Nation. And third… Don't act like a total dumbass by running back home to take your crown after turning on both Uncle and me ever again, or I'm the one who's going to strangle you for it. Got it?" She spoke in a growl, holding his gold stare firmly, inwardly praying he wouldn't turn on her; an even smaller part of her, the part that had loved the soft and sweet prince he was during those few days in Ba Sing Se, just wanted to kiss him and never let him go.

Zuko saw the sternness glow prominently in her pale face, burning in her amber eyes, and he realized that she had grown in her time spent away from him. She was stronger, more rock-hard stubborn, and damn it, she let her hair grow back too… But she was still beautiful, she was still his fiancé, and she was still his Mariko. He exhaled, nodding quietly. "I understand." He said.

Mariko softened her expression a smidge, keeping her stubbornness up either way. "Did you… y'know, did you find what you were looking for, when you went back home?" She asked softly.

He recalled the loneliness he'd felt after returning, the times where he would hear her voice in his head when he was confused and angry… He smiled wryly, shaking his head. "No, I didn't. I got what I wanted, my honor and birthright and my dad's love, but it was empty, in the end. My father is still the cruel bastard he was three years ago, and everything else just felt… hollow. It wasn't what I wanted it to be. It wasn't the same… Not without you there." He answered in the same tone.

She fought the shiver racing down her spine, the prickling sting of tears fighting to rise, looking at the fire. "Uncle would be proud that you came. He'd be happy… just like I am." She chuckled weakly, looking up at him as he neared her, noting his hair had gotten longer, looking scruffy and… cute; she smiled faintly, raising a hand to gingerly trace her fingers along his cheekbone where the scar was, lifting into his hair. "You let it grow, just like I told you." She said wryly.

He wanted to embrace her again, but hesitated, watching the tears begin to rise in her gaze; he smiled, chuckling quietly. "You're one to talk, letting your hair grow again… It looks better. I like it." He returned, his left hand lifting to hold hers to his cheek, leaning into her palm.

Mariko slid her eyes closed and caved, releasing his cheek to throw herself into his arms, her cheek buried into his chest as she let the tears fall.

Zuko didn't hesitate to hold onto her, crushing her to his chest and digging his fingers into her curly mane of hair, closing his eyes tight.

"I'm sorry I left." He apologized again as she was busy tending to his ribs later on once the tears had been shed, fighting a wince as she tied the bindings a bit tight on his right shoulder.

She exhaled and slugged him in the right arm, making him wince. "Dumbass, stop apologizing! Sheesh." She scolded, scowling into his gold stare.

He opened his mouth to retort before seeing the scowl set on her brow and he exhaled, backing down reluctantly. "You're just as much of a tomboy as ever… Maybe I shouldn't have left." He mumbled, looking down.

Mariko blushed slightly at his words, noting the snarkiness was back; she grinned contently, throwing her arms around his neck and surprising him as she rested her chin on his right shoulder.

Zuko looked at her, feeling a smile forming, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Where were you on the day of the eclipse? Or did you try to break Uncle out of jail?" She asked softly, tilting her head to the side.

He smiled fondly at the head-tilt he found made her look cute, staring at the fire as he recounted the day to her, how he'd faced his father and then tried to break his uncle out of jail only to find he'd already done it on his own.

"Wait, you redirected his lightning!? Seriously!? And you're still alive?" Mariko demanded incredulously, gaping.

Zuko pouted, "You make it sound like I wasn't ever able to redirect a single lightning bolt!" He exclaimed.

"That's because you weren't, not when Uncle tried teaching you! It kept exploding in your face like a stink-bomb!" She barked.

"It was kinda hard to concentrate when you kept staring at me!" He declared.

Blush colored her cheeks dark pink and she looked away with a scoff, glaring at the fire. "Do I make you nervous?" She asked in a small voice that wasn't like her, not looking at him.

He blinked at the question before he also blushed and snorted, looking down at his boots. "Only because I wasn't sure if you were gonna brain me with a boulder or something else to keep you entertained." He grumbled.

Mariko blushed harder, coughing and looking at the rocks that surrounded the flames, before she regained her composure and looked at him, smirking coyly. "So I make you nervous, then." She stated, her tone smug.

"Don't act so damn smug about it!" Zuko bit out.

"You're cute when you blush, and then with your scruffy hair…" She snickered.

He growled and glared pointedly into her amber eyes, seeing her grin coyly again, wanting to wipe off that look on her face… Maybe he should.

Mariko was taken by surprise again when he pulled her in for a kiss; she froze briefly, soon recalling that morning he'd woken her up with a tiger-dillo cub as a present, and his kisses… She was kissing back soon, her fingers raking through his shaggy hair, feeling his own fingers knotting in her curly locks, the fire rising in the kisses as they squabbled for dominance over the other, fire and stone clashing.

Panting slightly as he broke the kiss, Zuko held her close again, feeling her hands that were clasped at his neck now holding onto his shoulders; he buried his face into her neck, closing his eyes with a sigh. "Even when I was back home, when I thought I had everything, your voice would always pop into my head. It annoyed me not because you were annoying, but it reminded me of how guilty I felt about letting you go. I'm not going to make that same mistake again… I'm not leaving you. Not again." He promised.

She nodded, smiling happily for the first time in months, rubbing his back. "I missed you… Prat." She said softly.

He chuckled at her nickname, pulling back to stroke her cheek, letting her keep his hand. "I missed you too... Brat." He returned, seeing her laugh. His smile fell as he thought back to the earlier 'speech', frowning a little. "Won't they hate you for coming to see me, much less forgiving me?" He asked, briefly taking her by surprise.

She thought back to the same thing and then sighed, shaking her head. "I'm pretty sure Katara will, but I dunno about Aang. He needs a teacher, and you're the only one around that isn't going to burn his head off. Speaking of Katara, she mentioned something about being imprisoned in the crystal city… What happened, exactly?" She looked at him with one arched brow, amber eyes curious.

Zuko shook his head, "Nothing. She attempted to heal my scar before you and Aang showed up." The water-tribe girl was pretty, he'd admit that much, but she didn't trust him, and he had a pretty good idea of which guy she was already spoken for. "That's all."

Mariko soaked it in and nodded, sitting back on the ground, glancing past the fire to the dark forest. "It's going to take a while for her to trust you again, I can tell you that much. But in time, she'll forgive you. For Aang's sake." She mused, yawning.

He nodded as well, smirking softly at the yawn. "You look tired." He mused.

She rolled her eyes, poking his chest. "Like you don't? Get some sleep, dummy; I'll go back to camp." She mused, starting to get up.

"Stay." He said, seeing her stop; she met his gold eyes with surprise. "I know the others will wonder where you are, and since I'm already on their crap list, why not, right?" He shrugged.

Mariko blushed a little, exhaling and obliging, kissing him softly. "Someone wants to get his ass kicked," she sang, smirking gently.

Zuko rolled his eyes, kissing back, pinching her cheek and making her growl. "Shut up and go to sleep."

* * *

"Couldn't you have sent a more manageable assassin after us?" She sighed, grabbing his tunic scruff and helping him up onto the ledge, grasping his hand in hers.

He scowled slightly at her, perking up as they both saw a blue boomerang knock Combustion Man onto the ledge, watching him get back up; he scowled again. "Come on, we still need to get him away from the others." He got into a stance and sent a flamethrower screaming at the assassin.

She smirked and inhaled, her arms at her sides sharply crossing over the other and sending a wide array of rock daggers pelting down at their target, watching sparks fly as he seemed to try and send another explosion before the sparks imploded and sent him spiraling down below them with one of the temple peaks alongside, his metal gauntlet glinting sunlight as it fell with him.

"We did it!" She beamed, throwing her arms around his neck and giggling when he hugged her.

Zuko smiled down at the petite earth-bender, seeing her blush slightly and smile back, kissing her lightly, pulling back.

Mariko grinned up at him, looking away to form a bridge and then take his hand as they retreated to where the others were.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but… thanks, Zuko." Aang said as they came forward.

"Listen, I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday; I've been through a lot in the past few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing I had to go through all those things to learn the truth; I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me. I know now that noone can give you your honor; it's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war… and I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world." He turned to the blind earth-bender with an apologetic look, "I'm sorry for what I did to you; it was an accident. Fire is dangerous and wild, so as a fire-bender, I need to control my bending so I don't hurt people intentionally." He said.

Aang looked at him, realizing the truth of the matter, "I think you _are_ supposed to be my fire-bending teacher. When I first tried to fire-bend, I burned Katara, and after that, I never wanted to fire-bend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love. I'd like you to teach me." He bowed slightly to his new teacher.

Zuko smiled, ignoring the giddy grin on his fiancé's face, bowing back. "Thank you; I'm so glad you decided to let me join your group…" He began.

"Not yet; I have to ask my friends first, if they want you to join us." He cut in, looking to his companions. "Toph, you're the one that Zuko burned; what do you think?"

"Go ahead and let him join; it'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet."

"Sokka?"

"All I want is to defeat the Fire Lord; if you think this'll work, then I'm all for it."

"Katara?"

"…I'll go along with whatever you think is right."

"Mariko?"

"He still kinda owes me for being an idiot fiancé, but I forgive him."

Elated, the prince smiled again, "I won't let you down; I promise." He said, blinking when a blur of tan and beige tackled him, licking his face. "H-hey!" He barked.

Mariko laughed, grinning at the happy tiger-dillo. "Ayu missed you too, by the way." She said.

"Geez, you didn't tell me she'd gotten so big! Ayu, h-hey stop it!" Zuko exclaimed, trying to push off the tiger.

She smiled happily at the sight, glancing up to see a pair of blue eyes staring at her in something she pegged to be disappointment and disbelief; her smile fell and she looked down, glancing again to see she'd returned to the barracks area. "Ayu." She beckoned gently.

The tiger-dillo let go of the prince she'd tackled, nuzzling her master's cheek with a purr, letting her embrace her gently.

"I don't know who's a sloppier kisser, Ayu or Appa..." He mused as he wiped his face of the kisses, looking at her as she was quiet; he raised a brow. "You okay?"

She nodded, smiling at him. "Never better." She straightened and kissed him, feeling him stroke her cheek before she pulled away. "Come on; let's go get your stuff from camp." She suggested.

* * *

**so yeah, Zuko's back~ lol i'm happy with it, dunno about you. **


	33. Fire X

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire X**_

* * *

Mariko grimaced a little at seeing her tiger-dillo chewing on the bone of a dead mouse, taking a sip of tea and blinking when he came forward.

"Listen up, everyone; I've got something to tell you. I've lost my stuff." Zuko lamented, letting his head droop.  
Toph put up a hand in defense, "Don't look at me! I didn't touch his stuff."

"I'm talking about my fire-bending; it's gone." He corrected quietly.

Katara laughed, earning a couple of scowls from both Zuko and Mariko; she smiled up at the prince, "I'm just laughing at the irony. Imagine how _nice_ it would've been for us if you'd lost your fire-bending a _long_ _time_ ago?" She said sardonically.

Mariko frowned patiently, "Katara, this isn't the time to crack jokes. If Zuko can't fire-bend, the whole '_old_ _plan_' schematic is going to backfire, and it's not going to be pretty." She reproached.

"Since when are _you_ sticking up for him, Mariko?" She remarked, blue meeting amber.

She folded her arms at her chest. "Since he's trying to be a better man and teach Aang fire-bending before we have to face Fire Lord Ozai again. Or did you forget that fire-bending is _crucial_ to going toe-to-toe against the cruelest man this side of the world?" She rebutted cattily.

"_Of course_ I didn't forget! I just think you're being too forgiving towards the guy who _turned his back on you_ back in Ba Sing Se!" Katara snapped, blue eyes angered.

Mariko growled under her breath, "Yes he did turn his back on me, I remember well. But I forgave him for it because I know he's a good-hearted guy, Katara. I forgave him because I'd be just as _bitter_ about it as you are!" She stood to her feet to go train, glaring at her. "Stop bitching about it and grow up." She stormed away to leave the campfire, fists shaking a little at her sides.

Zuko watched her go with a sad look on his face, exhaling.

"Sword girl _does_ bring up a good point," Toph mused aloud once the quiet settled in.

Katara scowled over at her, turning her stare onto the fire.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"Why'd you come? Not to sound mean, but this was kind of a fieldtrip for Zuko and me." Aang asked the third rider of the bison.

Mariko unfolded her arms from being crossed, staring at the waters that stretched on for miles below them. "Your girlfriend is bugging me, and I doubt you wanted to come back from your little excursion to see me half-frozen and her half-buried under rocks." She answered dryly.

Zuko sighed and let his arms hang over the ridge of the saddle. "I appreciate that you stood up for me, but you were a little too blunt last night." He chided.

"Well _someone_ had to break it to her, and if _you_ guys kept pussyfooting around the subject, then the wound would still be left open. Besides, since she's a '_sugar_ _queen_' so says Toph, isn't forgiveness one aspect of that?" She closed her eyes.

"Mariko does have a point, but hopefully Katara will forgive you." Aang mused from the front seat.

Mariko sighed and nodded, resting her head against his shoulder, snuggling closer.

Zuko smiled slightly down at her, the wind that played with her hair tickling his nose gently.

* * *

"'_The Dancing Dragon'?_" A snicker fought its way to her lips and she smirked, "isn't that a bit flowery for a tribe known as the Sun Warriors?" Mariko wondered as she read the inscription.

A lightbulb went on as Aang looked at the stances the statues had taken. "Zuko, get over here! I want you to dance with me!" He barked, grabbing hold of his arm.

Zuko balked, "What?" He ignored the snort as his fiancé valiantly fought a bark of laughter. "Shut it, will you?" He snapped at her.

"What, I just think it's **cute** you two want to get to know each other better!" She said sweetly, perching on the short pedestal next to one of the statues.

"Just do it!" Aang insisted.

Zuko groaned a complaint as they got into the stances. "Don't. laugh."

Mariko smiled serenely, reaching to tousle his shaggy hair from the statue's perch she sat on. "_Amuse_ me, then." She crooned playfully, hearing him grumble a curse before watching them begin the 'dance' with curiosity and interest. _This must be where fire-benders learn their martial arts' moves_, she mused.

::::::::x-x::::::::

The horn that had been blown rang in her ears hollowly.

A cry sounded from one of the caves; her eyes widened in awe.  
Two dragons slithered out, one red and one blue, twisting and swirling around, red and blue becoming a mixed blur, as they circled both fire-bender and air-bender.

Dragons… Uncle didn't destroy them after all!

She smiled slowly in admiration. "Wow." The smile widened in slight amusement as the two boys began the Dragon Dance again, the actual beasts slowing their rotation around them as they danced, until it ended and both Zuko and Aang were face-to-face with the dragons, Zuko the blue dragon, Aang the red dragon.

With a growl both supposed-extinct beasts unleashed a wide flamethrower, sending it spiraling around both boys; she almost looked away from the flamethrower but instead her eyes widened again in shock to see the flames take on different colors as they had swirled around them like a tornado, forming a rainbow of flames.

Slowly the flames died and both masters returned to their respective caves, leaving the two companions standing where they'd been rooted since the end of the dance.

She smiled again, admiring the dance and the rainbow-flames.

* * *

**short chaps again until the chapter after this one, sorry gents. and sorry also for not updating at my normal rate ^^' anywho, thanks for the reviews so far, i can't begin to describe the warm fuzzy feeling i get whenever i see a new review posted (:**

**stats-report-wise, shoutout to ****_Fictionaldemon_**** for being the 10th person to fav this story, and wow ****_almost _****_2900_**** views!? guys, srsly, this made my day. xD thanks again and keep 'em coming~ 'til next chap, ja ne! ;D**


	34. Fire XI

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire XI**_

* * *

"I said '_no'_." He hissed.

"Why can't I? Because it's a high-risk security prison? Come on, it can't be so _horrible_ you'd make me stay behind." She snapped quietly, making sure they remained quiet.

He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair, letting his hand slide down his face. "Mari, trust me when I say that it is. Just stay here, okay? Please?" He gave her a hard look.

She held his stare just as hard for a second that lasted forever before growling under her breath and looking away. "I hate it when you do that… You're not fair." She hissed.

Smirking at gaining a footing, he leaned in to kiss her, not surprised when her fingers wove in his shaggy hair and she kissed back with as much ferocity as a tiger-dillo, fighting a groan at the fact that even though she was an earth-bender, she tasted like fire and honey… "I'm coming back to you, okay? Don't pout like that, either, princess." Zuko breathed as he pulled her away gently, holding her amber stare.

Mariko sighed quietly, nodding, embracing him tight, and kissing him briefly before pulling back. "I'll hold you to that. Just don't get in over your head, princeling." She smiled cheekily when he pouted at her nickname.

He tousled her curly hair affectionately, watching her hop off the bison's saddle and slide down his tail to sneak back to her sleeping spot next to the slumbering tiger-dillo and her bag.

She settled back down next to Ayu, closing her eyes with a soft sigh and slowly drifting back to sleep.

_Be safe_.

::::::::x-x::::::::

Things were still brittle between her and Katara.

Mariko sighed, finding the statue hall again, looking on the statue of the female air-bender as she had the day Zuko had come back. She smiled at the woman's serene face, wishing for one moment that she could be that serene.

Ayu nudged her left hand with her pink nose, reminding her that she hadn't come exploring alone.

She smiled down at the feline, turning to continue exploring. "Come on, Ayu."

Was Zuko okay? It had been one day since they'd been gone… Were he and Sokka safe? She sort of doubted that, knowing how both boys were, but still… she couldn't help but worry.

Mariko sighed again, looking at the streaks of sunlight that dropped into the otherwise-dim corridor. "I hope you're okay over there, Zuko." She murmured.

* * *

"Seriously, you guys didn't get _any_ meat?" Toph asked in disbelief.

Mariko smirked and patted her on the shoulder, striding up to the prince. "Come on, _you_ have a lot of explaining to do." She said pointedly, holding his gold stare in her amber gaze.

Zuko rolled his eyes and smirked slightly, sighing. "Fine, I guess I owe it to you." He mused, stepping away to walk alongside her as she went in the direction of the statue hall.

"First of all," she slugged him in the right shoulder hard, making him wince slightly before he rubbed his shoulder gingerly. "Second," she leaned up to kiss him, smirking warmly even though he pouted, to which she chuckled. "Third, I'm glad you came back… Y'know, safely. Though the airship is a little uncalled for." She mused.

He smiled wryly at her comment, keeping his pace at her side. "It's a long story…" He recounted to her of what happened since they'd arrived on the island, the warden being Mai's uncle, Azula showing up, the brawl they'd had on the gondola getting out of the Boiling Rock, and even taking the warden hostage.

"Whoa, so Ty Lee and Mai _turned on her?_ Huh, hell **did** freeze over… But why did Mai do it? It's not because she likes you like that, does she?" She asked curiously once soaking it in, now sitting in her room with her katana in her lap as she was busy polishing it, looking up at him as he sat down on her bed.

"I'm not sure, but I doubt it's for that reason. She knows how I feel about you… I guess everyone knew about it, when we were kids. But while I was back home, Mai didn't try anything; she was actually a good listener, and she actually turned out to be a good friend. Irony, I suppose." Zuko shrugged, petting Ayu as she had settled to sleep on the bed next to him.

Mariko shrugged as well, pouting up at him. "Y'shoulda let me come with you, though; I wouldn't have minded putting a few rocks in your sister's head. She still owes me for Ba Sing Se." She huffed, looking down.

"_Riiight_, like I'm going to let you go toe-to-toe with Azula. You know it's too dangerous to take her on by yourself. She's psychotic." He reminded pointedly.

She scowled slightly, "What, you don't _trust_ my ability? You've seen me fight her before, Zuko. I can take her." She said defensively.

"It's not _that_, I trust your ability! You're one of the strongest earth-benders I've ever seen, Mari. I just don't want you to get in over your head, **okay**?" He fired back, rousing the tiger-dillo next to him.

Mariko quieted, blushing slightly, looking down at her reflection in the polished side of her katana's blade. "You really think I'm that strong?" She asked softly after the silence soaked in, flattered and partially honored that he cared about her enough to worry about her safety.

He noted the blush on her cheeks deepening and he smiled, nodding. "Yeah."

She smiled fondly, sheathing the sword with a quiet 'clink', straightening to her feet to near him, kissing him softly, pulling back to smile again into his eyes. "You're still a prat about it." She teased quietly.

He rolled his eyes, kissing her and then pulling away as she had. "You worry too much." He remarked.

* * *

**honestly, i'll admit, i thought on the possibility of Mari joining Sokka and Zuko in the ****_Boiling Rock_**** arc but decided against it.. too much detail, besides the fact that i felt it was meant as a '****_manly_****' fieldtrip, per se.  
anyway, if anyone's wondering, yes ****_The _****_Southern _****_Raiders_**** episode is covered and is going to be posted in a min. now whether there'll be a pleasant twist in the plot during that episode that screams Zutara-ness or not, you'll just have to sit tight and wait and see~. in the meantime, why not drop a review for me while you wait, hn? lol later!**


	35. Fire XII

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire XII**_

* * *

She was going to kill him for this.

"Mariko, keep your head down!" Sokka barked behind her.

"Like hell, besides, that's my fiancé down there!" Mariko snapped, gripping the rim of the saddle tightly in her hands, watching the siblings send bout after bout at each other, blue and orange flames flying.

Another explosion went off after they'd narrowly swerved out of the line of fire of a few explosives and dived down to regain the fire-bender.

Zuko was freefalling just as Mariko jumped up from the saddle to grab his scruff and pull him down with her so they both landed on the saddle with a combined '_oof_'.

"Idiot, what the hell were you **thinking**!?" She demanded, pulling him into a tight hug instead of the braining she contemplated giving, glaring up into his gold eyes.

He ignored the stares from three of the five passengers, holding her glare with a dry scowl. "That it's _really_ a pain in the ass to try and stage an Agni-Kai ontop of airships." He mused wryly.

Mariko let the glare falter until she chuckled, shaking her head with a soft laugh. "You, princeling, are an idiot." She scolded gently.

Zuko made a face when she spoke his nickname, chuckling with her. "Shut up," he smirked.

* * *

_Where the hell did that cat get to…?_

She grumbled under her breath as she shuffled out of the rock-tent she'd made hours ago into the darkness of the campsite, straightening with a yawn. "Ayu?" She beckoned.

"She's sleeping."

She perked up to see he was seated infront of the water-bender's tent, a tawny-furred feline lying down near his feet; she rubbed the sand from her eyes gingerly, briefly puzzled. "What're _you_ still doing up?" She asked quietly, blinking when he gestured they go talk elsewhere, nodding once and following him towards the rock pillars. "Don't tell me you're still bummed about what she was yelling at you, earlier." She mused, keeping up with his pace.

"Why else would I be awake? She hates me." He replied, explaining of the conversation he'd had with Sokka hours ago.

"Well that explains things. But still, I've got beef with the Fire Nation too, though you don't see **me** yelling at you infront of everyone at dinner." She mused blandly, rubbing her arms out of habit as a breeze stole past them.

Zuko shook his head slightly, "Your case is different, Mari. You spent most of your life **in** the Fire Nation." He argued with a patient tone.

"I know," Mariko exhaled quietly, looking to the seas that stretched for miles beyond their island, brushing locks of hair from her cheek. "So how're you going to handle this, then? Another fieldtrip?" She half-joked, feeling him draw up to her side.

"Yeah; gotta make it up to her somehow, right?" He shrugged, his gaze drifting to the dark waters as well.

She nodded slightly, stifling a yawn. "You're really trying to make amends, if you're willing to go that far. This is a new side of you that's scaring me a little." She smiled wryly.

"I was an idiot in the past, and I'm just trying to keep my head above water." He defended, glancing at her mussed hair and looking away, smirking and valiantly fighting the urge to chuckle. "Off-subject, though, your hair looks like a bird's nest." He added.

Mariko felt a vein twitch on her brow and she slugged him. "Bite me."

Zuko rubbed his arm gingerly, exhaling. "Guess I had that one coming." He muttered.

"You had _that_ coming for a few months, now… But I have enough faith to know you're not going to turn tail again. You're changing for the better, and I'm glad for that." She smiled that warm smile that had haunted him in his darker moments, her amber eyes soft. "I trust you, Zuko." She thought she'd never say that again, at one point in her separation, but she now knew that he was sincere in his endeavor to be a better man.

He smiled back, tousling her hair gently. "So you're okay with the fieldtrip."

She rubbed her arms again. "Yes, I'm fine with it. You don't need to ask permission; you're the one who's oldest between the two of us." She reminded, leaning up to give him a peck on the lips before turning to start back to a warm tent, hearing him follow.

"I know that! I just figured I'd be **considerate** and ask you since you're my **girlfriend**." Zuko declared indignantly, quieting his tone when they were nearing camp.

Mariko paused short of her tent, her cheeks warming, before she shook her head briefly, turning to lean up and kiss him warmly.

He blinked once at the sudden kiss before smiling, his arms finding her waist and pulling her closer, kissing back.

She was still blushing even when she retracted in his arms, brushing some of his shaggy brown hair back gently. "Goodnight, Zuko." She kissed him softly before slipping free to shuffle back into her tent.

He watched her go and smiled thoughtfully, turning to resume his spot with a sigh of resign.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"…I can't forgive him; I'll never be able to forgive him." She turned her eyes to the prince and smiled a little. "But I am willing to forgive you." She moved to hug him before they let go, walking past him to his fiancé. "Mariko, I'm sorry for… well, acting childish. I know we didn't get along these past few days, but I hope you'll forgive me what I said." She said with an apologetic look on her pretty face.

She smiled warmly, pulling her into a hug, letting her pull back. "I forgave you a few days ago; I know how hard it is to forgive someone for what they did or said, so trust me when I say that I understand, Katara. Besides, I don't take as much joy in arguing with you like Toph does." She chuckled.

The younger girl chuckled with her, smiling. "Please tell me you didn't leave her to start dinner; Suki and I had to throw out the rice last time." She said, walking away from the jetty.

The older girl spared both boys a wink before following, "That's a _great_ question!" She sweatdropped.

* * *

**_/puts ice on a shiner compliments of Toph _****  
yeaah i made Toph out to be a bad cook.. idk, you think she could cook? ah well, i suppose anything's possible.. anyway, yeah strictly Zu/Mari in this folks, sorry if you anticipated something else to blossom |D the tent scene was a possible window into a smut part of the episode between said couple buuut.. i did rate this for teen, and i was too lazy to write up a smut part. my apologies ****_/bows_**

**review and all that jazz, if you will~. later!**


	36. Fire XIII

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire XIII**_

* * *

She elbowed the air-bender as she passed by him, "Your fire-bending is getting better, Aang."

He blinked and smiled lightly at her as she plonked down next to his teacher, "Thanks, Mari."

"_Yours_ is just as fiery as a pissy tiger-dillo, though." She added to her fiancé, ruffling his hair.

He pouted at her gesture, tossing the towel at her face, to which she grimaced and knocked it off. "Well excuse _me_ if I'm not a strong earth-bender princess," he sniffed.

She made a face and tapped her right heel onto the ground, knocking him off his perch and onto the courtyard's floor face-first.

Aang, Toph and Katara laughed as Mariko smiled contently.

"That _wasn't_ called for!" He hopped up to scowl at her smug amber eyes.

She kept the content smile on her lips, folding her arms. "I know, I just think it's funny to use some earth-bending tricks on you. Kinda hard to resist, really." She answered calmly.

Zuko made a face that earned a giggle from his petite earth-bender, exhaling and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I forgot how _annoying_ it was to get knocked off my ass by your earth-bending…" He groused.

Mariko giggled, pecking his cheek sweetly and rocking back on the balls of her feet, still smug. "You're cute when you get huffy," she sang, ignoring the slight blush that made his cheeks turn pink.

"Bite me."

"Prat."

"_Tomboy_."

"**_Princeling_**."

"You guys aren't gonna believe this… there's a play about us!" Sokka and Suki entered the stone courtyard then, halting the barb-throwing match, Sokka in the lead.

"We were just in town and we found this poster," Suki contributed as her boyfriend flashed a large poster of said play.

"What, how is that possible?" Katara asked as she, Aang, and Toph neared them to look more closely at the poster.

Sokka started reading the promotional tag, "Listen to this: _The Boy in the Iceberg_ is a play written by Pu Wong Tim, who scowered the globe getting information on the Avatar. From the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se, his sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and surprisingly-knowledgeable merchant of cabbage."

"Brought to you by the critically acclaimed _Ember Island Players_." Suki added.

Mariko blinked, "_'Ember Island Players'_?"

"Ugh, my mother used to take us to see them! They always butchered '_Love Amongst the Dragons_' every year." Zuko lamented.

"So they're second-rate, I'd imagine…" His fiancé mused, seeing him nod.

Katara piped up, "Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea for us to attend a play that's written about ourselves?" She looked at her brother.

"Come on, a day at the theater? This's the wacky, time-wasting nonsense I've been waiting for!" Sokka said, putting on a big cheesy grin directed at both the prince and air-bender.

Both boys sweatdropped.

* * *

Katara scooted nearer to Toph as Mariko plopped down between her and Zuko.

Mariko blinked when Aang hesitated to sit on their row, offering an apologetic look when Zuko suggested he sit with Sokka and Suki, to which he did, albeit a bit crestfallen. "This should be interesting." She mused.

Zuko rolled his eyes, glancing to see the curtain rising as he noted she'd pulled her hair into a high ponytail, managing to tame some of her curly locks; he smiled inwardly at her attempt to try not to stand out.

Actress-Katara's sobbing about 'no hope' earned a few snickers (mainly from Suki, Sokka and Toph), and a snort to valiantly fight a laugh from Mariko; "Well that's stupid; I **don't** sound like that!" the real Katara hissed in disbelief.

"This writer's a _genius_," Toph laughed, folding her arms behind her head and lounging in her seat.

'_Water-bend hi ya'?_ Mariko inwardly repeated with another outward snort, blinking once when Actor-Aang came forward… _Only it wasn't a boy_. She fought to keep a straight face, burying her face into his shoulder (said prince slapped his forehead) and try to stifle a laugh even as the real Aang blanched in utter horror.

"Prince Zuko, you must try this cake!" Actor-Iroh boasted from the stage after Aang's exclamation of annoyance towards the opening of the play, making both earth-bender and prince perk up.

Actor-Zuko scoffed, "I don't have time for that; I must capture the Avatar to regain my honor!" He claimed.  
Mariko sweatdropped.

"Oh Prince Zuko, why regain your honor when you have _me?_" Actor-Mariko bounced towards Actor-Zuko; the real Mariko gaped at her portrayer's excessively-thick mane of black hair and skimpy Fire Nation outfit.

"I seriously… _THAT'S __**CRAP**__!_" Mariko seethed, pretending the prince next to her didn't snort. "I **don't** act like that!" She hissed venomously, her teeth gritted.

"I dunno, sword girl, the actor's not far off the mark," Toph snickered, ignoring the growled curse from her fellow earth-bender.

The older girl glared cold daggers at the stage before slouching in her seat, slugging her fiancé hard.

"Ow, what the hell was _that_ for!?" He hissed, scowling at her.

"Shut up and watch the play." She ground out, folding her arms across her chest.

It was a few events later during which the trio –that is to say, Aang, Sokka and Katara—had their first run-in with Jet that she mellowed out; of course she'd elbowed the infamous 'Blue Spirit' a couple of times during the event where he'd saved Actress-Aang from Zhao's fortress.

"Don't worry, baby, I'll destroy that village just for you!" Actor-Jet proclaimed as he held onto a weepy Actress-Katara, a wave of water washing over the cardboard village as the rope they were on rose up.

"Oh Jet, you're _so_ **_bad_**…" Actress-Katara purred.

Mariko coughed, smirking slyly over at the real Katara. "I had a feeling something _fishy_ had gone on between you two," she hummed, chuckling at the blush that colored her cheeks, looking away when the younger girl sent her a glare as she looped her arm with Zuko's.

Zuko sweatdropped when Actress-Yue rose up with the fake moon; Mariko slapped her forehead at overhearing the watery remark the real Sokka uttered to Suki behind her.

::::::::x-x::::::::

Well, he hadn't been too wrong about the intermission; at least they could vent about how crappy the first part of the play had been.

Toph was the only one not disappointed in her portrayer, which happened to be a buff guy.  
"…I see everything that you see, but instead of seeing, I release a sonic wave from my mouth." Actor-Toph demonstrated this by releasing a scream-of-sorts that made the audience cringe and cover their ears.

Again, Toph wasn't disappointed.

Mariko barked a laugh when Actress-Azula showed up, quieting when the prince elbowed her, snickering at how crappy she looked. "And I thought **_I_** looked bad," she chortled.

Zuko sweatdropped when the event of Lake Laogai happened and Actor-Jet crawled pathetically under a cardboard rock. "Did Jet just… die?" He asked Sokka, glancing at Mariko.

"I think so…" Mariko mumbled.

"Not sure." Sokka chimed.

Katara wanted to slap her forehead when the Imprisonment in Ba Sing Se event started.

"I must say, Prince Zuko, I find you _really_ attractive…" Actress-Katara drawled.

"Don't patronize me!" Actor-Zuko growled.

"But I mean it! I've had _eyes_ for you since you first captured me." Actress-Katara purred as she drew closer to him.

Mariko glowered at the actress, snorting, feeling the real Zuko declaw her hand from the crook of his right arm and place her hand on his knee, his own hand squeezing on hers reflexively.

"Wait, I thought you were the_ Avatar's_ girl!" Actor-Zuko snapped as he stood up to get away from her advances.

Actress-Katara laughed haughtily, "The Avatar? Why, he's like a little brother to me; I certainly don't think of him in a _romantic_ way! And besides, how could he ever find out about **this**?" She said as they clasped hands and snuggled up to each other.

"Why I aughta…" Mariko's reaction to the scene was a bit more livid than Aang's; she had the sudden urge to find the writer and bury him under a mountain of flaming rocks, detaching herself from the prince and scooting away a smidge, folding her arms over her chest.

Zuko sent her an odd look before glancing at the stage and inwardly sighing, slapping his forehead. He knew she trusted him enough to not cheat on her –he'd have to be an even _bigger_ idiot to do that, though—so the mere portrayal of a tryst that never happened was enough to leave him annoyed and irritable.

Aang stood and left to go get some air, ignoring Sokka's requests for Fire Flakes and Fire Gummies.

"Well, what's it going to _be_, Brother?" Actress-Azula demanded as Actor-Zuko stood between her, Mariko and Iroh onstage, Mariko and Iroh under the Earth Kingdom banner and Azula under the Fire Nation banner. "Your nation, or a life of treachery!?"

Actor-Zuko looked conflicted, before he stepped over to Iroh and Mariko's side, only to knock Actor-Iroh off his feet and push Actress-Mariko away. "I hate you, Uncle! You smell, and I hate you for all time; and you, Mariko, you're **nothing** to me!" He shouted as he crossed over to Azula's side.

The real Mariko straightened to leave the box, perking up when his hand snagged her wrist; she looked down at him and offered a faint smile, slipping away to get some air.

"You didn't really say that, did you?" Katara asked the slightly sullen prince.

Zuko looked at where his fiancé had left, looking forward at the stage and scowling. "I might as well have." He mused, feeling like an idiot all over again.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"I thought you'd gone back to the beach house."

She looked to see he had found her looking out at the darkened trees beyond the amber glow of the outside lanterns from the theater, nearing her side; she shrugged, reaching to pull her hair free of the ponytail, letting it become wild and curly again. "Why, so Katara's portrayer can _sweet-talk_ you while I'm gone?" She mused blandly.

"You know that's not what happened; I told you, **nothing** **happened**!" He stated, glaring at her amber eyes that were turned away, reminiscent of the night she'd come to see him back at the Western Air Temple.

"It's not just **that**, you idiot!" She exclaimed, glaring hard at him before cutting her gaze away, her hands curling into fists on the rail.

"What _else_ is bothering you, then?" He asked slowly, keeping his gold stare fixed on her.

Mariko slid her eyes closed. "I just… Seeing the Ba Sing Se incident being replayed for everyone else to see, to watch the humiliation and pain and anger coming back to smack me in the face… It hurts. I told myself not to be mad at you, that you were confused and lost and you didn't know what the hell you wanted, that I can't be mad at the boy I worried over for three years. But it hurt when you left, it hurt like if **I** was the one to get shot by Azula's lightning instead of Aang… _And I hate that it hurts!_" Her voice rose to a shout on the last six words.

Zuko felt his insides ache again as they had the last time he'd imagined her with him back home, but it felt worse now that he could practically feel her pain radiate towards him; he had hurt her, he realized, just as if he'd stabbed her in the back in Ba Sing Se… He didn't want to hurt her, not again, for as long as he lived. "Mariko," he reached to gently place a hand over her slightly shaking right hand that gripped the railing tight, his fingers squeezing on hers. "I don't think there's enough apologies I could make that would erase what I did… But I'm here **now**. I told you before, back at the Western Air Temple, remember? I'm not leaving you, no matter what. You were at my side all this time, and I was a complete idiot to take you for granted. I'm grateful that you're still here, even if we butt heads or argue, I'm glad you took me back." He smiled at her slightly misty eyes, his hand leaving hers to cup her right cheek in his palm.

She exhaled, uttering a soft groan. "Your scar's on the _wrong_ _side_ in the play, you know." She muttered.

His gaze softened and he chuckled, smiling again. "Your skirt's too _short_ in the play." He returned quietly, scooting closer to wrap his arm around her shoulders and let her snuggle closer.

She blushed, smacking his chest gently. "Prat."

"Brat." Zuko smirked, pressing his forehead to hers, seeing her smile up at him from beneath her brow. "You look good in green, by the way. I like it." He added, making the blush on her cheeks deepen.

Mariko huffed in her familiar tomboyish way, looking away shyly. "Piss off, princeling." She grumbled, the embarrassed look faltering when she saw him pout out of the corner of her eye; she giggled, smiling at him as he smiled wryly back, tracing her fingers gingerly along his scarred cheek. "Honestly, though, I don't act like that actress. I don't _think_, anyway." She mused.

He rolled his eyes and sighed, "For the hundredth time, you're _not_ like that. She made you seem like too much of a clingy cheery brat, which _isn't_ you. You're too stubborn and proud to act that girly." He smirked wryly.

She chuckled, poking his chest with a finger. "Prince Zuko, is that a _compliment?_" She teased softly, amber eyes coy.

He huffed, holding her hand to his chest, smirking again. "And if it **is**?" He drawled.

Mariko smiled, tugging on his tunic to kiss him happily.

Zuko grinned a genuine grin at the kiss, releasing her hand to knot his fingers in her mane of hair, kissing eagerly, distinctly feeling her free hand be placed on his chest.

"Oh _there_ you two are… Oi, this ain't a **romantic** **getaway**!" Sokka's voice interrupted the moment then.

Both teenagers jumped and looked to see said boy scowling patiently from the doorway of the hall, arms folded over his chest.

Mariko blushed brightly and glared at him just as Zuko did, slipping away to retreat back inside, slugging him hard in the shoulder; he followed her retreat stiff-leggedly, sidling to her side and taking her hand in his.

"Ow! Geez that hurt!" Sokka griped before he scampered off after the couple.

* * *

"That… was not a good play."

"I'll say."

"Horrid."

"Really horrible."

"You said it."

"But the effects were decent!"

* * *

**just a head's up, i'm going to combine my takes on two of the four episodes of the ****_Sozin's Comet_**** finale arc in the next chapter. there's only four, i calculated, so next chapter is going to be a prologue of sorts and getting the pieces in motion, and the chapter after that is going to be action-y plus the epilogue.. geez, i can't believe this is almost over! i'm gonna miss working on it, too.. but anyway, reviews are love, people. thanks, and later~**


	37. Fire XIV, Pt I

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire XIV, Pt. I**_

* * *

"Fine, go ahead and lay around like a bunch of snail-sloths; see if I care!" He ground out, storming away.

She watched him leave and sighed, grabbing his glass of juice along with hers as she stood, trotting after his leave with Ayu at her heels. "What's with you? You're being grouchier than usual during training." She asked when she caught up to him, handing him his glass.

Zuko scowled slightly down at the drink, huffing. "It's complicated." He answered.

"'Complicated' how?" Mariko wondered dubiously, sipping her drink aimlessly and then grimacing; she forgot she hated watermelon. "What's more complicated than your current standing with everyone at home?" She added dryly, pouring the contents into a nearby bush.

"Something worse than what happened during the eclipse." He grumbled.

She neared his side, grabbing his sleeve and looking at him when he turned to her. "Like I'm going to tell? Zuko, what is it?" She asked, the tone in her voice gentle and concerned.

He held her amber stare for what felt like hours before exhaling, taking her hand and leading her further away from the others towards the beach, telling her of what was said during the war meeting he'd attended the day before the eclipse, of what his father's intentions were in regards to Sozin's Comet.

By the time he finished she was practically shaking, but not with fear; no, fear had fled after Ba Sing Se fell months ago… It was with _anger_. Anger at how the invasion had backfired like a stink-bomb, anger at what the Fire Lord's true intentions were, anger at how cruel and just-plain-evil Ozai truly was.

"Is that why you want Aang to be more adept at fire-bending? Before the comet comes?" Mariko asked quietly as they sat on the cliff overlooking the beach, watching everyone else having fun and playing in the water without a care, without knowing about the horror that was to be Sozin's Comet.

"Yeah. But I don't know if he's ready just yet… He has to be, though, to face my father. We all have to be." Zuko replied with a slightly grim tone, scowling at the clear blue sky that stretched for hundreds of miles beyond them.

She exhaled softly, looking at him. "It's not just him, though, your father. Azula, too; you know that nightmare's not going to end if Aang simply defeats your father. She's going to be a problem." She said.

His eyes hardened at the reminder and he nodded. "I know. As much as I don't want you to get hurt, let alone anything worse than that, I know you and I have an unfinished score with her." He mused darkly.

Mariko smiled wryly, taking his hand that rested on his knee and squeezing. "I'm not going to leave your side, even if you face her… Or your father. You couldn't get rid of me for three years straight so trying now would be pretty stupid." She half-joked.

Zuko's jaw tightened at the image of her facing off against either his sister or father, exhaling wearily. "I hate when you get like that." He looked at her and smirked determinedly. "But I wouldn't have you any other way." He added.

She smiled, perking up as he looked down at the others again and pulling her hand back; she sighed. "Might as well let you break it to them... gently." She added the last bit vainly, letting him get up.

He smirked wryly, "Yeah, '_gently'_, because _that_ works every damn time." He joked, hearing her laugh quietly before he hopped down over the cliff, sending a blast of fire screaming onto the sand-sculpture Sokka made.

Mariko shook her head, petting Ayu as she'd nestled on her left side, watching the scene unfold.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"I have a surprise for everyone!" Katara said as she came back from hunting in the kitchen, stirring everyone's attention.

"I knew it; you **did** have a secret thing with Haru!" Toph beamed.

Sokka, Suki, Mariko and Zuko gave her odd looks.

Katara deadpanned, "Um, no. I was looking for cooking pots in the attic, and found this! Look at baby Zuko; isn't he cute?" She teased lightly as Sokka, Suki and Toph laughed, smirking at the sore look from said prince. "Lighten up, I'm just kidding."

Mariko snorted and shook her head with a chuckle. "I'm not sure if that's Zuko…"

"That's not me, that's my _father_." Zuko corrected grimly, quieting the group.

Suki spoke up, "But he looks so sweet and innocent."

"Well that sweet little kid turned out to be a monster, and the worst father in the history of all fathers." Zuko replied blandly.

"But he's still a human being." Aang spoke up.

Mariko raised both brows in mild surprise, "You're going to _defend_ him?"

"No; Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person, and the world would probably be better off without him. But there's gotta be another way." Aang defended as he turned to face the group.

"Like what?" Zuko bit out.

"I don't know… Maybe we can make some big pots of glue, and I can use glue-bending to stick his arms and legs together so he can't bend anymore!" He said, his face brightening at the idea.

The prince refrained from snorting, going along with it (albeit sardonically), "Yeah, then you can show him his baby pictures, and all that will make him good again!" He agreed even as Suki, Mariko and Sokka snickered quietly in the background.

"Do you really think that'll work?" Aang wondered.

"**No**!" Zuko snapped, shooting down the notion at the drop of a hat.

Aang sighed, getting up and starting to pace, "This goes against everything the monks taught me. I can't just go around wiping out people I don't like!"

"So what? You're the Avatar; if it's in the name of peace, I'm sure the universe will forgive you." Sokka said nonchalantly, ignoring the annoyance building up inside his friend.

"This **ISN'T** a joke, Sokka! None of you understands the position I'm in!" Aang exploded, glaring at him, at all six of them.

"Aang, we **DO** understand! It's just…" Katara hesitated.

"Just _what_, Katara, _**what**__!?_" He barked.

"**We're trying to help**!" She exclaimed.

"Then when you figure out a way for me to beat the Fire Lord without taking his life, I'd **_love_** to hear it!" Aang shouted, twisting on his heel to storm off back into the house.

"Aang, **don't** walk away from this!" Katara began to go after him before a hand was placed on her shoulder.

Zuko regarded her confused expression patiently, "Let him go. He needs time to sort it out by himself."

* * *

"Oh no; I knew it was only a matter of time… **_APPA _****_ATE_****_ MOMO_**_!_" Sokka wailed, zipping over to look into the maw of the bison. "Momo, I'm coming for ya, buddy!" His voice echoed from inside the beast's mouth.

Katara deadpanned, "Sokka, Appa didn't eat Momo; he's probably with Aang."

Mariko slapped her forehead, straightening from her spot lounging against the prince's left side, flexing her knuckles. "Besides, Appa's a vegetarian; he doesn't eat meat, let alone his best friend… That would be _Ayu's_ job." She added dryly.

"Ayu wouldn't eat Momo; a chew-toy, maybe, but not food." Toph pointed out.

"That's just what Appa wants you to think!" Sokka declared before diving back in.

"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka!" Zuko snapped impatiently, "Right now we have a big problem; Aang is missing and the comet is only **two days** away."

Katara looked at him, "What should we do, Zuko?"

"I don't know…" Zuko began, straightening, blinking once at noticing three out of the four girls present had their eyes on him questioningly. "Why are you all looking at **me**?" He demanded, starting to feel odd at being stared at.

Mariko looked up at him from letting Ayu nuzzle her cheek, "You're the genius that's adept at tracking Aang, remember? If any one of us knows how to find him, it'd be you, Zu." She explained patiently.

It was a few hours later that they were flying in the direction of the Earth Kingdom territory with Zuko leading.

"Um, Zuko, I don't mean to tell you how to do your job, but why're we heading to the Earth Kingdom?" There's no way Aang's there," Sokka asked confusedly from the saddle.

Zuko stared ahead at the intended destination, "Just trust me."

Mariko had an idea of what he was thinking of and exhaled, slouching down in the saddle between Toph and Ayu, folding her arms. "Here we go again."

::::::::x-x::::::::

She rolled her eyes at the familiar sight of the brawl that had calmed down (even if momentarily), keeping to his side out of reflex as their group neared the bounty-hunter seated at a table in the middle of the seedy tavern.

"Oh great, it's Prince Pouty and Sword Girl; where's your creepy grandpa?" Jun greeted the rag-tag group blandly.

"He's my uncle, and he's not here." Zuko answered in the same tone.

"I see you made up with your girlfriend." She huffed.

"**SHE'S ****NOT**** MY/ HIS GIRLFRIEND**!" Zuko, Mariko and Katara bellowed in unison.

Jun snorted quietly, "Okay, okay, sheesh! I was only teasing… So what do you want?" She looked at her drink idly.

"I need your help finding the Avatar." The prince replied.

She drank from the glass, "Doesn't sound like much fun."

Zuko glared at her, "Does _the_ _end of the world_ sound like '_fun_' to you!?"

Jun glanced up at him before reluctantly complying, ushering the teenagers out of the bar and to where she'd left her shirshu.

Appa growled at the shirshu before licking its face, calming, as they approached; Jun held up a raw steak, "Nyla." She cooed, tossing the meat to her pet, who ate it happily.

Ayu nuzzled up to her master, whether out of protection against the shirshu or some vain jealousy, the earth-bender wasn't sure; she rubbed her head gently, smiling.

"Okay, who's got something with the Avatar's scent on it?" Jun asked of the group before Katara scrambled onto Appa's saddle to show she had kept his glider, taking it with her as she hopped down.

Nyla sniffed it carefully before shuffling around the area to sniff more, retreating near her master to plop down and cover her snout with her paws, whimpering in her failure.

"Well, what does that mean?" Zuko wondered.

"It means your friend's gone." Jun replied.

"We know he's gone, that's why we're trying to find him." Toph piped up.

"No, I mean he's _gone_, gone: he doesn't _exist_." She pushed darkly.

Sokka spoke up, "What do you mean Aang doesn't exist? You don't mean that he's… y'know, dead?"

"Nope, we could be able to find him if he was dead. Huh, it's a real head-scratcher; see ya." She shrugged, hopping onto her shirshu's saddle.

"Helpful; _really_ helpful." Toph groused.

"Wait; I have an idea. I know of one other person who can help us face the Fire Lord." Zuko piped up, looking at Jun, "I'll be right back with a smell sample."

Mariko watched him hop onto the saddle to rifle through his bag, lifting a brow in mild curiosity before he returned with something that had flies buzzing around it.

All seven teenagers grimaced at the stink coming from the sweaty sandal in his hand.

"You seriously kept your uncle's old sweaty sandal?" Sokka demanded.

"I think it's kinda sweet," Toph said.

Mariko grimaced again and covered her nose, "I can't believe you kept that thing! I coulda painted a portrait of Uncle if you wanted a memento of him _that_ bad!" She complained.

Zuko rolled his eyes and let the shirshu sniff it.

Once getting the scent registered in her snout, the mole creature sniffed the air before jetting off into the forest.

"Oi, wait up!" Mariko barked before they boarded the bison's saddle again and soon followed the shirshu.

::::::::x-x::::::::

She heard Ayu growling quietly next to her.

Rousing, she looked over her shoulder to see him lying next to her with his back facing hers, slightly surprised he didn't hear the tiger-dillo's growling; she looked at said pet and saw that her amber eyes were narrowed, her ears twitching back and forth.

When Ayu growled to wake her that usually meant something was coming.

"Ayu…" She murmured, perking up as the rock tent Toph had put up dropped instantly; she jumped to her feet just as Zuko, Katara, Sokka and Suki also did the same, a ring of orange flames encircling the group.

Two figures clad in white and navy appeared ontop of the rubble that used to be the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, and another two joining them, as the quartet looked on at the teenagers.

Mariko blinked as her eyes focused on one particular member of the quartet that had graying black hair… "Piandao?" She murmured, confused.

"Well, look who's here!" Another of the quartet, one with a hunched back and green eyes (one eye looked bigger than the other, she could swear that much…) chortled, grinning oddly at them.

It appeared that only Sokka and Katara recognized three of the four of the quartet of elders.

* * *

**part two is still in the works, ladies. this part is mostly dialogue and, as mentioned in the A/N of the previous chap, getting the board pieces into motion. part two is going to be mostly action, some family reuniting moments, and a lovely epilogue. anyway, reviews are well-loved here and all. (: later!**

***edit: also, yes i had make fun of Jun's snarky comment regarding Zuko and Katara (: and srsly, 3k+ views? AWESOME~**


	38. Fire XIV, Pt II

**disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!**

* * *

_**Fire XIV, Pt. II**_

* * *

Zuko hesitated to enter the tent even as he let her words soak in, looking back to her amber gaze as she held back. "Aren't you coming?" He asked.

Mariko shook her head, smiling his smile. "You two need to talk more than anything; he's like a father to the both of us, honestly. But you two need your time alone." She neared him to kiss his cheek, smiling again as she stepped back. "Go on."

Katara stood next to her as they both watched him enter the tent; she looked to her friend, smiling a little. "That was kind of you to let them talk alone." She mused.

Mariko shrugged, looking over her shoulder to see Ayu having reared up to lick King Bumi, chuckling. "Zuko needs to see Uncle more than I do." She replied, snapping her fingers and making the tiger-dillo's ears perk before she lowered onto four legs again and cantered over to her master, scritching behind her left ear gently.

"Mariko, are you going to camp out with us in one of the tents? Toph's got her own tent, but Katara and I are sharing one. You're invited to join us." Suki asked as she neared the two girls.

The earth-bender looked at the tent her boyfriend had disappeared into and smiled fondly, shaking her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm going to sleep out here; Ayu and I'll be fine. Thanks though, Suki." She smiled lightly at both girls.

The water-bender nodded and clapped a hand on her shoulder, smiling back, before following Suki to their designated tent.

Mariko watched them leave, noting the others had gone to their own tents as well, summoning an arc to cover her and Ayu as she settled a few feet away from Iroh's tent, using her arms as a pillow as she lay on her back and let the tiger-dillo snuggle up to her side, soon drifting into a dreamless sleep.

::::::::x-x::::::::

Ayu awoke her what felt like hours later; she jolted awake, yelping as her head connected with the top of her arc, lowering it with a flick of the wrist.

"Ow…" Mariko rubbed her head gingerly, exhaling and blinking to see her sleeping companion rear to lick the bearded face of Iroh; she beamed, hopping up as the tiger dropped down to throw her arms around him. "Uncle!" She laughed as he hugged back.

Iroh beamed as well at the sight of the earth-bender, the girl he had thought of like a daughter, noting her eyes looked misty with happy tears. "I had a feeling Zuko had not come alone. You can't imagine how glad I am to see you here, Mariko. I must thank you for being there for Zuko, when I was not." He smiled in that way she now associated with a manner only a father would exhibit.

She looked past him at said nephew's smile and her own widened as she hugged him again. "I missed you too, Uncle." She said quietly, pulling back as the smile stayed in place.

Finally, they were the makeshift family they had been what felt like years ago… And she couldn't be happier.

Once everyone had woken up and the campsite seemed livelier (plus breakfast being dished out), they finally broached the subject most dire.

"Uncle, you're the only person other than the Avatar that can defeat the Father-Lord…" Zuko started.

"You mean '_Fire Lord'_." Toph corrected.

"That's what I just said! We need you to come with us." He finished with a slight scowl at the younger girl, looking to his uncle.

Iroh looked up from breakfast, "No, Zuko; it won't turn out well."

"But Uncle, you can beat him; and we'll be there to help, too." Mariko put in hopefully.

"Even if I did defeat Ozai, and I don't know if I _could_, it would be the wrong way to end the war. History will see it as senseless violence, a brother killing a brother to grab power. The only way for this war to end peacefully is for the _Avatar_ to defeat the Fire Lord." He pointed out.

"And then would you come and take your rightful place on the throne?" The prince asked.

"No: someone _new_ must take the throne. An idealist with a pure heart, and unquestionable honor… It has to be _you_, Prince Zuko." Iroh stated, looking at him.

Zuko perked up, "'Unquestionable honor'? But I've made so many mistakes…"

"Yes; you've struggled and suffered, but you've always followed your own path. You were the one to restore your honor, and only _you_ can restore the honor of the Fire Nation." He said solemnly.

He nodded slightly, "I'll try, Uncle." He looked down at her hand that took his that was on his knee, smiling a little and squeezing her fingers gently as she silently reminded him that she was still there for support.

"But what if Aang doesn't come back?" Toph asked for the rest of the teenagers present.

"Sozin's Comet is arriving, and our destinies will be upon us: Aang _has_ to defeat the Fire Lord. When I was a boy, I had a vision that I would take Ba Sing Se… Only now do I see that my destiny is to take it _back_ from the Fire Nation, so the Earth Kingdom can be free again." Iroh said with a wistful look in his face.

"That's why you gathered the members of the White Lotus," Suki noted aloud.

Iroh nodded, "Yes. Zuko, you must return to the Fire Nation so that when the Fire Lord falls, you can assume the throne and restore peace and order… But Azula will be there, waiting for you."

Zuko's gaze hardened at the thought. "I can handle her."

"Not alone; you will need help." He reminded, glancing at his future niece.

"You're right. Mariko, you're coming with me," he smiled wryly at her, "You _did_ say you can go toe-to-toe with her. Katara, how would you like to help us put Azula in her place?" Zuko looked at her.

Katara smiled wryly, "It'd be my _pleasure_."

Mariko grinned at the prospect, "This is gonna be fun."

"What about us; what's our destiny for today?" Sokka asked.

Iroh looked at him, "What do _you_ think it is?"

Sokka looked away thoughtfully, "I think, even though Aang's not here, we're going to need to do everything we can to stop the airship fleet."

"And that means that when Aang does face the Fire Lord, we'll be right there if he needs us." Toph chimed determinedly.

It was with a few misty-eyed farewells between the girls (save Toph, but Mariko could swear there was something along those lines in her gaze) the group parted ways, Sokka, Toph and Suki riding a giant eel-hound, and Zuko, Mariko and Katara riding Appa.

"So if you won't be returning to the Fire Nation, what're you gonna do?" Zuko asked his uncle as they were ready to leave.

Iroh smiled thoughtfully, flipping the white lotus tile in his hand. "After I reconquer Ba Sing Se, I'm going to reconquer my tea shop, where I'm going to play Pai-Sho _every day_."

Mariko chuckled, smiling warmly at him. "Good luck, Uncle."

"Thank you again, General Iroh." Katara added as both she and Mariko were riding in the saddle (with Ayu).

"Goodbye, everyone; today, destiny is our friend… I know it." Iroh said quietly.

The group spared one final look between their divided parties before taking off into the growing afternoon.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"…I now crown you…"

Her tawny eyes were mutinous, "What're you waiting for!?" She spat.

The ground trembled slightly, spooking some of the Sages, before rocks rose up in a jagged-peaked runway, a low groan from the beige bison they rode on sounding their arrival.

As Appa touched ground, Zuko straightened to his feet, "Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today: I am." He hopped down to land expertly on the courtyard floor that hadn't been touched by her earth-bending, glaring stonily at his sister, the would-be Fire Lord.

Azula laughed a fake laugh, "You're hilarious." She drawled.

Mariko hopped down as well, landing nimbly at his side, amber eyes frigid. "And you're one _psychotic_ bitch."

"And going down," Katara added grimly as she hopped down shortly after the couple, blue eyes just as icy.

"Wait," she straightened, shooing away the Sage that made to place the headpiece on her head, "You want the throne? Fine, just you and me, Brother… the showdown that was always meant to be: Agni-Kai!" She challenged with a strange glint in her tawny eyes.

Zuko gritted his teeth, jaw tight, "You're on."

Both girls with him shared a worried look; his fiancé sent a cold look at his sister, her eyes resting on him. "You know you can't take her on your own! She's baiting you so we'll separate. I can't let you take her on by yourself." Mariko hissed quietly, glaring slightly as the worry gnawed at the recesses of her mind, trying to settle in the front of her conscious.

"I know, but I'm not going to let her hurt you, not while I can stop it. Besides, this time, I can take her." Zuko rebutted in the same tone, shooting a determined look at her, stilling the worry that tried to creep forth to settle on her pale features.

"But even _you_ admitted to your uncle that you'd need help fighting Azula," Katara chimed, shooting him a look as the worry had surmounted in her own face.

"There's something off about her. I can't explain it, but she's slipping. It's better this way, anywho; Aang would kill me if something happened to you." He answered with a slight look.

Both girls hesitated before nodding curtly, soon clearing the courtyard and standing to the sidelines as the two siblings began their Agni-Kai.  
The Agni-Kai with Zhao she had witnessed what felt like centuries ago didn't stir in her the nervousness she felt now with Azula.

Zhao was a non-bending ball-less pansy compared to the vicious psychotic bitch that was Princess Azula.

In a brilliant array of light, the duel began with a vicious bout from the princess, being countered expertly by the prince; the counters went back and forth, blue and orange clashing and then fading out to mere embers, tension electrifying the air around the courtyard, making the girls' hairs on their arms stand on end, the tension dense and becoming even more electrifying when her blue fire-jets were cut off sharply by his orange flame-wheel and her footing was broken, sending her skidding back to her starting point on her side.

Zuko straightened his stance, his eyes trained on his sister, feeling cocky about the match, "What's the matter, no lightning today: afraid I'll redirect it!?" He challenged.

Azula straightened, slightly jaunted, her mane of brown hair framing her face in an unsettling way, a snarl on her lips. "Oh, I'll show you **LIGHTNING**!" She cried, gathering the crinkling static by her fingertips, blue lightning sparking to life in a circle before she hesitated to strike, briefly deliberating between her brother and his two "groupies". She met the anxious amber gaze of her future sister-in-law and sent a sharp bolt screaming in her direction.

"_**NO**__!_" In what looked like slow-motion, Zuko darted between the bolt and his companions, taking the shot directly in the chest, sent tumbling to the ground as sparks flew up from the electrocution.

"**ZUKO**!" Mariko screamed, sprinting at top speed to his side as her heart thundered loudly in her ears, threatening to burst from the pain she felt, the pain that was reminiscent of the day he'd been scarred feeling like it had been quadrupled and was ten times as excruciating, fear for his life banging at the inside of her mind: a second jet of lightning stopped her from nearing his side short of seven yards, making her skid to a halt, amber eyes jumping up to meet the tawny eyes of Azula.

"Where do you think you're going, you bastard princess?" Azula grinned wickedly at the mix of emotions swirling in her pretty face, in her widened amber eyes, watching fear slowly rising out of the jumble.

Mariko swallowed the fear as anger brewed in the pit of her belly, boiling and strengthening at an alarming rate as she held the staring match with the princess for another few long moments; her voice was low and cold as she opened her mouth to speak. "Katara, take care of him for me. Don't even think of interfering." The shakes in her arms that had made it to her hands abruptly stopped when her fingers curled, slender hands forming into hard fists. "This bitch is mine." She finished softly, stepping away from near his form to take a stance in the center towards the back of the courtyard, every nerve inside her screaming to fight, to avenge the boy she loved and had cared about since she was thirteen.

Azula giggled in an offsetting way at her new opponent, getting into a stance. "So you decided to grow a pair and fight me properly. Why the change of heart, or is seeing Zuzu that _badly_ _injured_ suddenly giving you courage?" She drawled venomously.

The earth-bender's mouth was in a thin line caught between a disgusted grimace or a snarl, amber eyes deadly. "You won't be speaking so jovially when I snap your head off your neck." She purred, inhaling slowly before initiating the brawl: she bolted headlong for the princess.

"A peasant's mistake," The princess tutted lowly, shooting a larger bolt of lightning at the oncoming opponent.

The high wall of rock she'd mustered with ease caught the brunt of the bolt, only a portion of the top ridge cracking and crumbling down onto the ground.

"You can't hide forever, Mariko!" She sneered, perking up when the ground beneath her feet began to tremble; she leaped out of the way of a large rock-fist, another jetting up like a weed, and another, and another, until she was sent skidding back from having hopped around to dodge getting sent sky-high.

Azula glared coldly as the earth-bender allowed her wall to crumble, faced with the angered glare of a truly pissed 'peasant'.

Mariko dug her right heel into the ground behind her by three inches as a wall of blue fire was sent screaming forward; she made a pulling motion with her arms before snarling and letting go, watching a wide array of rock daggers sail over the wall, shifting her stance quickly to form a diamond-shaped shield against the flames that collided with the shield and soon died out to mere embers.

Blood dripped down her pretty face from a narrow gash on her right temple, her tawny eyes screaming murder in her gaze as the shield crumbled and her opponent straightened.

She knew she was pissed, and she felt damn-good about being the cause for it.

Several bolts of lightning jetted at her when she thought she had let her guard down; she dodged nimbly, skidding back and exhaling, gritting her teeth as she concentrated on summoning two of the pillars from the left side crosswalk, left thumb doubling a little as she carved jagged lances from the twin pillars.

Azula snarled as she sent a ferocious cartwheel of blue flames screaming at the girl, two lightning bolts following shortly to give the attack an extra boost.

Mariko gave a battle cry as she sent the twin lances screaming at the princess, a string of rock daggers formed between the two pillars-turned-lances.

Dust exploded up into the intensified air, billowing out slowly into the scarlet-stained sky.

The princess glared past the clearing dust across the courtyard, panting.

The earth-bender panted as well, growling when seeing she was still standing.

Azula initiated the bout, streaking towards her enemy on blue-flame-powered rockets, a maniacal laugh escaping her.

Mariko drew her katana, sprinting for her, rage singing loudly in her blood, aching to take down the girl who'd caused her so much pain simply because she sweet-talked her brother into turning his back on her.

The two came to blows, Azula deflecting the sharp swings with a hidden dagger in her sleeve, sparks flying from the blades before Mariko plowed a hard fist into her gut, being met with a sharp yank on her curly hair she'd drawn into a high ponytail; the two girls scuffled, rolling about, kicking and biting and clawing viciously at one another, until a sharp boot was rammed into the earth-bender's ribs, kicking her hard and sending her skidding back on her side as the victor scrambled to her feet.

Pain shot up and down her spine as Mariko growled out a curse and tried to regain her breath, wheezing, hearing Azula's cackle from somewhere nearby as it rang in her ears like a disturbing dirge.

"It's time you learned your place in this world, in the world I will rule as Fire Lord. You're nothing but shit, a worthless lovesick bastard peasant whore!" Azula gathered another bolt of lightning in her hands, cackling gleefully as she readied to strike.

Her arms were then paralyzed, the same numbing paralysis swiftly shooting up and down her nerves, the electricity she'd harnessed lost as soon enough she was rendered helpless; a cry of pain came from her lips as the princess was made to bow on her face by the same invisible force that had immobilized her bending.

Mariko looked up in surprise to see Katara standing there, slightly kneeled on her right knee as she was blood-bending. "Katara?" She breathed.

Katara glared past her at her caught foe, "Mariko, there's some chains over on the left crosswalk, near the drains; grab them, quick." She instructed.

She gingerly got up, shaking her head and hurrying to grab the item, returning to the scene to bind her enemy's hands together as they were forcibly placed at her back, summoning rock from the courtyard floor to securely bind her hands, retreating quickly to stand next to the water-bender who released the hold she had on their mutual enemy.

Azula panted heavily from the pain that was slightly dulling, glaring up at the two girls before she opened her mouth to spout a jet of blue flames at them, enraged tears running down her cheeks as she wailed and broke down, sobbing like a child between bouts of flames that came from her mouth.

Mariko glared coldly at her for a long moment before looking away in disgust, turning to retrieve her discarded sword from the ground. "I told you not to interfere." She scolded over her shoulder.

Katara also turned her face away, looking at her friend as she sheathed the katana. "And let her roast you alive with a bolt of lightning? Zuko would kill me for it." She returned.

"That he would… Zuko. _Zuko!_" She mentally kicked herself for just now remembering her injured boyfriend, sprinting over to where Appa and Ayu were huddled, Ayu's body half-curled into a ball; she skidded to a halt at seeing him lying there with his head on the tiger's side, breathing a sigh of relief.

Zuko looked up stiffly when he felt a pair of slender hands pull his head to rest on someone's lap, looking into a pair of amber eyes that reminded him so much of the sun… "Mariko."

Mariko ran her fingers through his hair, shushing him. "You dumbass prince, you scared me. I thought… for one second, I thought…" She felt a familiar lump form in her throat; she closed her eyes tight and gritted her teeth, fighting back the tears. "Damn it, don't do that again! Don't you ever do something so stupid for as long as you live! … Damn, Zuko." She declared hoarsely.

He cracked a smile at her tough outer shell that was cracking with each second she fought the tears, gold eyes soft. "I told you earlier, didn't I? I wasn't going to let her hurt you so long as I could stop it… I meant it, Mari. Every damn word… I'm sorry I scared you." He said quietly, lifting a hand to take hers that rested on his scarred cheek, fingers squeezing on hers.

"You've done worse things to scare me, Zuko… but nothing as insane as what you did earlier by taking the brunt of a lightning bolt." She laughed weakly, trembling slightly at the memory, allowing a lone tear to trickle down her left cheek.

Zuko smiled wryly, squeezing her hand a second time.

Mariko exhaled slowly, running her fingers through his hair again.

It was a few hours later that the rest of their group showed, appearing in a pilfered airship.

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the unveiled windows of his room as he tried to pull his robe on with his good arm; he grimaced at the twinge of pain that radiated from his right side.

"You shouldn't be up and about so soon." She scolded gently as she came forward from having awoken out of sleep, helping him pull it on, securing the sash at his waist.

The prince made a face at her scolding, noting she didn't look like she'd slept much. "And you should still be sleeping, given how you always used to nag me about beauty sleep."

The earth-bender smiled wistfully at the memory, releasing the yellow sash of his robe with a calm sigh. "You kidding? Everyone spent most of the night talking about how Aang defeated your dad, and then Katara and I kept it going by detailing the brawl you had with Azula. Between keeping an eye on you as you recuperated and that, I hardly got much sleep." She informed, looking up at his gold eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Princesses need their sleep, even if they're spitfire tomboy earth-benders." Zuko pointed out, smirking.

Heat colored her cheeks pink; Mariko cut her gaze away, pursing her lips. "You're lucky you're injured, otherwise I'd brain you for that comment." She growled.

He smiled contently, tugging on the sash of her tunic to pull her closer, letting her hands plant themselves palm-flat on his torso. "I almost forgot how cute you were in the morning." He said cheekily, watching the color deepen to a reddish pink hue that stained her cheeks, her mouth opening again to spout a snarky retort; he dove in for a kiss, taking his petite girlfriend by surprise for a second, his hand releasing her tunic's sash to let both hands grasp her small waist.

She was going to brain him good when he was better; for now she succumbed without much protest, her lips clashing with his as her actions were a jumbled mix of defiance and need, letting his hands roam, both of them squabbling for dominance as they had that first kiss that felt like it was centuries ago.

Zuko lessened his assault when feeling her hands gently run down his shoulders, starting to push him away; he growled a little at her gesture, surfacing to regain his breath, panting slightly, holding her amber stare in his smoldering gold gaze.

Mariko was as out of breath as he was, but even so she knew it would be in poor taste for them to have a fling before his coronation ceremony; she lowered her hands and rested her cheek on his left shoulder, holding onto him in an embrace, his arms never leaving her hips as he squeezed, his head drooping a little to rest ontop of hers.

At long last, after the bickering and teasing bouts and painful separation, it felt right to be together again.

::::::::x-x::::::::

"Wait, why did you give me Momo's ears?" She complained.

"Those're your hair-loopies!" He fired back.

"Hold it, why is my hair all frizzy? It looks like a clump of Appa's fur!" She whacked him over the head sharply with a fist.

"At least you don't look like a boar-cupine!" He added as he also came to inspect the drawing, grimacing.

"And why did you paint me fire-bending?" She asked, standing near the earth-bender.

"I thought it make it look more exciting," The 'talented' artist being badgered by his friends answered nonchalantly, ignoring the pursed-lip expression on her face, scowling at the lemur that hopped onto his table. "Oh, and you think you can do a better job, Momo?" He challenged.

"My belly's not that big anymore; I trimmed down," the elder of the group pointed out, having come to look at the drawing the otherwise-teenagers were complaining about.

"Well I think you all look _perfect!_" The younger earth-bender said lightly, earning some laughs from her friends.

Mariko gave the painting one final scowl before sighing, returning to her seat next to Toph's and sipping her tea. "If you really wanted a painting of everyone, all you had to do was ask me, Sokka. Isn't that right, Katara…?" She looked around and noticed the water-bender was missing, blinking once in confusion.

Toph rolled her eyes, propping her feet up again. "Don't bother lookin' for her; she's with Twinkle-toes." She informed, sticking her tongue out, a further sign that it was a private moment.

She exhaled and nodded, straightening to go give her fiancé a peck on the cheek, smirking up at him.

He smirked in return, tousling her hair and blinking when she giggled instead of pouting, raising a brow. "What's so funny?" He wondered.

She looked at the sunset that streamed into the tea shop from the opened doorway, smiling warmly. "I think they're cute together." She mused.

"Crap, don't spread that mushy stuff **in** **here** too!" Her fellow earth-bender complained from the table.

Both engaged teenagers momentarily shared a look before rolling their eyes, laughing quietly.

* * *

**well gents, this was fun to write, i won't lie. so many nostalgia feels, and even though getting episodes to cover was a nagging pain, it was fun to re-watch the old episodes that made me love the ATLA series that much more. (: thanks for the reviews and favorites, i can't express how awesome it feels to know people love what i've written.**

**there's a couple of recommendations i wanna voice before i go:**  
*** '****_What I Learned at SRU_****' by ****D3stiny****-****Sm4sher****; a modern AU spin on the complicated college life with the Gaang plus the rest of the cooky and unique cast of the ATLA universe**

* '**_Honor Among Thieves_****' by ****ShatteringDaybreak****; basically starting from Book II: Earth, being told from the point of view of a fleet-footed thief named Mira as she travels with the Gaang**

**i think that's all, really. but yeah, go check them out and drop a couple of reviews if you like; both writers have written such beautifully-depicted stories. anyway, gotta jet, so later! and thanks again for the love regarding this story i've written! ;D - ****_Sarudoshi_**


End file.
